Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor, Caregiver Version: Screening for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome

Cognitive impairment is common in intensive care unit survivors, pointing to the potential utility of a caregiver-based tool to screen for post-intensive care syndrome.

To validate the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor, Caregiver Version (HABC-M CG), as a caregiver-based tool to screen for post-intensive care syndrome.

A total of 116 patients who survived a stay in the intensive care unit completed standardized assessments of cognition, psychological symptoms, and physical functioning, and their caregivers completed the HABC-M CG. The Cronbach α was used to measure the internal consistency of the scale items. Validity of the HABC-M CG versus comparison tests was measured using the Spearman rank correlation. Generalized linear models were used to adjust for age, sex, and education level.

The total scale and all subscales of the HABC-M CG showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.88-0.93). Scores on the psychological subscale correlated with standardized measures of depressive symptoms (Spearman ρ = 0.58). Scores on the cognitive subscale correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination score (Spearman ρ = -0.33). Scores on the functional subscale correlated with scores on the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (Spearman ρ = -0.36).

The HABC-M CG is a valid informant-based clinical tool for the assessment of symptoms of post- intensive care syndrome.