Interventions for adult survivors discharged from the intensive care unit: a scoping review

To comprehensively map the available evidence on interventions implemented for adult survivors following discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU).

A scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley.

A systematic search was done across Embase, Medline, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, Wanfang Data, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, ClinicalTrials.gov, the Chinese Clinical Trial Register, the China Master's Theses Full-text Database and the China Doctoral Dissertation Full-text Database. Literature published between January 2000 and May 2025 was included.

Studies published in English or the Chinese language on postdischarge interventions for adult ICU survivors were assessed.

Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted relevant data.

39 studies were included, reporting 14 intervention components. Common strategies included ICU experience review, physical therapy and clinical assessment. Social, peer support and survivor participation interventions were less common. Most interventions were delivered within 1 week to 6 months postdischarge, via hospital visits or phone, with nearly half using multiple formats. Digital tools such as WeChat, telehealth and virtual reality (VR) were used in some studies; 15 studies involved caregivers, and 27 were nurse-led with multidisciplinary input. Interventions primarily targeted psychological well-being, quality of life and physical function, while social recovery and healthcare utilisation were less often addressed.

Current interventions are insufficiently addressing social, peer support and self-engagement needs. Future strategies should emphasise patient-centred, long-term care, with improved outcome measures and use of ICU-specific health-related quality of life tools. Integrating digital technologies could enhance access and continuity, supporting more sustainable post-ICU care.