Patient Safety: Cognitive Assessment at Intensive Care Unit Discharge

Topic Assessing functional cognition is a critical need for intensive care unit survivors transitioning to another level of care. Clinical Relevance Up to 62% of patients discharged from an intensive care unit have significant cognitive impairment that is not associated with severity of illness, number of comorbidities, or length of hospital stay. For more than 20 years, researchers have published an array of potentially effective interventions, including case management, patient and informal caregiver education, and home health care services. Purpose To describe the impact of and potential interventions for cognitive decline at intensive care unit discharge and discharge readiness on 30-day readmission rates. Content Covered Assessing the patient’s functional cognition assessment and advocating for appropriate resources are needed to improve patient and clinical outcomes. (Critical Care Nurse. 2023;43[2]:64-67,79).