Table 1.

Highlighted studies evaluating inpatient initiated treatments for the prevention or treatment of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome

First Author/Year	Study Design	Population	Intervention	Primary Outcomes	Study Conclusions	Study Limitations
Esses et al., 2019	Pilot randomized trial	62 caregivers of PICU patients and 19 nurses	Each caregiver randomly received 1 of 3 educational strategies: brochures, scripted conversation, or a 3-minute video; nurses were asked how the intervention affected work flow	PRISM framework for effectiveness of the education, the effect of each educational intervention, and costs	All strategies had notable improvement in understanding of PICS, with no single strategy being superior; nurses reported that all 3 interventions minimally disrupted workflow	Small sample; unsure of duration of the duration effect of each of the 3 strategies
Rennick et al., 2018	Pilot randomized controlled trial	20 subjects aged 2–14 years who are admitted to the PICU; n=10 intervention and control group	PICU soothing consisted of (1) parental comforting (touch and reading), followed by (2) a quiet period with music via soft headbands, administered once daily throughout hospitalization	Participation rates, observation, measurement completion rates, semistructured interviews, telephone calls; psychological well-being was assessed using measures of distress, sleep, and child and parent anxiety in the PICU, on the wards, and 3 months post discharge	70% of parents responded positively to comforting and 100% to music; intervention data suggested lower child and parent anxiety after transfer from PICU to the ward	Non-blinded, small sample; relatively high study refusal rate
Moler et al., 2017	Randomized controlled trial	329 subjects aged 0–18 years after in-hospital cardiac arrest requiring chest compressions ≥ 2 minutes	Targeted Temperature Management, either therapeutic hypothermia (target temperature, 33°C) or therapeutic normothermia (target temperature, 36.8°C)	VABS-II	No significant difference between the groups in the primary outcome of survival with a favorable neurobehavioral outcome at 12 months (VABS≥70)	Trial stopped early because of an assessment of futility; long time from the return of circulation to the achievement of a temperature within the target temperature range; no pretrial phase-in; did not use only high-enrolling sites
Moler et al., 2015	Randomized controlled trial	295 subjects aged 0–18 years after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest requiring chest compressions for ≥2 minutes	Targeted Temperature Management, either therapeutic hypothermia (33°C) or therapeutic normothermia (target temperature, 36.8°C)	VABS-II	No significant difference between the groups in the primary outcome of survival with a favorable neurobehavioral outcome at 12 months (VABS≥70)	Caregiver/research staff awareness of treatment assignment; no pretrial phase-in; did not use only high-enrolling sites
Adelson et al., 2013	Randomized, controlled trial	77 subjects aged 0–17 years with non-penetrating brain injury (GCS 3–8) and motor GCS <6 after resuscitation	Targeted Temperature Management: hypothermia (32–33°C) for 48–72 hours versus normothermia	Mortality at 3 months, Global function at 3months with the Glasgow Outcome Scale	No difference in mortality or global function	Terminated early for futility; Small sample; variability of pathology seen on imaging despite similar GCS score
Linton et al., 2008	Pilot study	35 questionnaires to gather transfer information to develop brochure and 21 questionnaires about the brochure from families of children who had spent 1–28 days in the PICU	Discharge information brochure from PICU to the ward	12 question questionnaire with 5 point Likert scale	95% of parents believed the brochure was easy to read, understand, and helpful in improving their understanding of what to expect on the ward	No validated measure of stress or anxiety; Low response rate; English speaking only
Melnyk et al., 2004	Randomized, controlled trial	174 mothers and their 2- to 7-year old children who were admitted to the PICU	3-phase educational-behavioral intervention program (COPE program) delivered: (1) 6–16 hours after PICU admission, (2) 2–16 hours after transfer to the ward, (3) 2–3 days after discharge from hospital	1, 3, 6, and 12 month follow up: Maternal anxiety, negative mood state, depression, maternal beliefs, parental stress, parent participation in their children’s care, child adjustment assessed with BASC	Mothers who received the COPE intervention experienced less stress, improved maternal functional and emotional coping outcomes, and participated more in their child’s care; Children had significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms, fewer negative behavioral symptoms and externalizing behaviors at 12months; Mothers reported children had less hyperactivity and greater adaptability	High rate of attrition through 12 months; questionnaire based assessments; English speaking only

Acronyms for Table (alphabetical order): BASC = Behavioral Assessment System for Children, COPE = Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment, GCS = Glasgow Coma Score, PICU = Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, PRISM = Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model, VABS-II = Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, second edition