Occupational Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit

Delirium, sedation, and bed rest are important modifiable risk factors for poor long-term outcomes after critical illness. The link between these ICU risk factors and long-term outcomes has, over time, led to fewer patients being deeply sedated and kept immobile. Therefore, the modern ICU is a place where occupational therapists have assumed a more prominent role in caring patients with critical illness. Occupational Therapy-driven protocols targeting orientation, mobilization, sensory deficits, environmental cues, and sleep are feasible and can be used to address important risk factors for poor outcomes after critical illness such as delirium and bed rest.