A nationwide 1-day point-prevalence study on rehabilitation practices for intensive care unit patients in South Korea

Early rehabilitation is important in critical care, but nationwide data on rehabilitation practices in Korean intensive care units (ICUs) are lacking. This study reports the findings of a 1-day point-prevalence survey to assess current ICU rehabilitation practices and associated ICU characteristics.

A nationwide, 1-day point-prevalence survey was conducted on December 18, 2024, across 116 ICUs with a 24-hour follow-up. Data were collected at the ICU level and included ICU characteristics, staffing and equipment, the total number of admitted patients, the number of patients receiving rehabilitation, types and frequency of interventions, and reasons for non-provision.

Complete data were obtained for 1,529 patients from 116 ICUs. Among them, 374 patients (24.5%) received at least one rehabilitation intervention on the survey day. A total of 968 recorded rehabilitation interventions were delivered, of which 70.5% were physical and 23.1% respiratory rehabilitation. Most physical rehabilitation consisted of in-bed activities, while out-ofbed mobilization accounted for only 7.3% of all recorded rehabilitation interventions. Both the overall rehabilitation rate and out-of-bed mobilization were significantly higher in ICUs within larger hospitals and those with specialized rehabilitation personnel.

Rehabilitation was delivered to 24.5% of ICU patients present on the survey day, with out-of-bed mobilization representing a small proportion of recorded rehabilitation interventions. These findings describe rehabilitation delivery at the population level of surveyed ICU inpatients rather than uptake among medically eligible patients. Broader implementation of ICU rehabilitation may require institutional and systemic support, including dedicated rehabilitation personnel, reduced ICU workload burden, and consideration of appropriate reimbursement structures.