Validation of a New Clinical Tool for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome

Post-intensive care syndrome is defined as the long-term cognitive, physical, and psychological impairments due to critical illness.

To validate the self-report version of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor as a clinical tool for detecting post-intensive care syndrome.

A total of 142 patients who survived a stay in an intensive care unit completed the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor Self-report and standardized assessments of cognition, psychological symptoms, and physical functioning. Cronbach α was used to measure the internal consistency of the scale items. Validity between the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor and comparison tests was measured by using Spearman correlation coefficients. Patients with post-intensive care syndrome were compared with a sample of primary care patients (known groups validity) by using the Mann-Whitney test. General linear models were used to adjust for age, sex, and education level.

The total scale and all subscales had good to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α, 0.83-0.92). Scores on the psychological subscale strongly correlated with standardized measures of psychological symptoms (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.68-0.74). Results on the cognitive subscale correlated with the delayed memory measure (-0.51). Scores on the physical subscale correlated with the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (-0.26). Patients with post-intensive care syndrome had significantly worse scores on subscales and total scores on the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor than did primary care patients.

The self-report version of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor is a valid clinical tool for assessing symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome.