Digital Health and ICU Recovery: How Technology Supports Patients and Families

Written by Ehrun Omuemu, PharmD, Class of 2027

March 24, 2025

Digital Health and ICU Recovery: How Technology Supports Patients and Families

The journey to recovery following an intensive care unit (ICU) stay is often fraught with challenges, not only for patients but also for their families. Physical limitations, psychological distress, and cognitive impairments, called post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) for patients and PICS-F for family members, can significantly hinder the return to normal life. In this context, digital health interventions have emerged as promising tools to support recovery, offering accessible and personalized solutions.​ A recent scoping review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health provides a comprehensive overview of such digital interventions designed to aid ICU patients and their families. The review analyzed 18 completed studies and 8 study protocols published between 2016 and 2023, highlighting the diverse approaches and technologies employed in this field.​

Key Findings from the Review

Diverse Digital Modalities: The interventions utilized various digital platforms, including mobile applications, virtual reality (VR), videoconferencing, and smartwatches. These tools aimed to address different aspects of recovery, such as physical rehabilitation, psychological support, and cognitive training.​

Focus Areas: Most studies concentrated on a single domain of PICS recovery; psychological, physical, or cognitive. This targeted approach allowed for in-depth exploration of specific interventions but also highlighted the need for comprehensive solutions addressing multiple facets of recovery.​

Patient vs. Family Engagement: A significant observation was that the majority of completed studies (15 out of 18) focused solely on patients, with limited attention given to family members. Given the profound impact of ICU experiences on families, this underscores a gap in research and intervention development for PICS-F.​

Feasibility and Efficacy: The review noted that digital interventions supplemented with professional support and personalized feedback were more feasible and had higher adherence rates compared to self-directed interventions. However, many studies were preliminary, emphasizing the need for further research to establish efficacy and cost-effectiveness.​

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation

Patient-Centered Considerations: Individual preferences, technological literacy, and health status can affect engagement with digital tools. Tailoring interventions to meet these personal factors is crucial.​

Technological Accessibility and Usability: Access to necessary devices and the user-friendliness of applications play a significant role in adoption. Ensuring that interventions are intuitive and accessible to all users, regardless of their tech-savviness, is essential.​

Looking Ahead

The evolving landscape of digital health presents a unique opportunity to enhance recovery pathways for ICU survivors and their families. Future research should focus on conducting adequately powered randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of these interventions. Additionally, exploring cost-effectiveness and strategies for personalization will be key to integrating digital solutions into standard care practices.​

References:

1. O’Horo JC, Gunderson T, Khaleel S, Dziadzko M, Timimi F, Gajic O. Digital health interventions for post-intensive care syndrome: a scoping review. Mayo Clin Proc Digit Health. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.mcpdig.2024.02.005. Available at: https://www.mcpdigitalhealth.org/article/S2949-7612(24)00115-9/fulltext. Accessed March 24, 2025.