Tackling post-intensive care syndrome

Associate Professor Jennifer Paratz is working to address post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), a collection of symptoms which can still have devastating effects on ICU survivors more than a decade after they win the fight for their lives.

To combat the effects of PICS, Assoc Prof Paratz aims to improve survivors’ quality of life, reduce their mortality rate and effectively predict which patients are likely to experience longterm complications.

Assoc Prof Paratz is currently a Principal Research Fellow in the Burns, Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She is a fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapy specialising in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy. Her PhD investigated the intracranial dynamics in head injured adults and pre-term neonates.

A feature of the PICS project is the inclusion of a largely telemedicine managed site at Bundaberg.

“Our team, consisting of physiotherapists, intensivists, psychologists, nurses and health economists, is currently conducting a multicentre, randomised controlled trial to investigate whether follow-up clinics providing screening and individualised management will reduce mortality rates, reduce economic burden on the healthcare system, prevent readmission to hospital and improve their health related quality of life,” Assoc Prof Paratz says.

“This research will also have implications for controlling the impact of this growing, major public health concern, allowing for more effective allocation of resources in post-ICU care.”

The project has attracted interest in collaborating from European and American researchers and has secured significant funding from Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, as well as a fellowship from the Queensland Government.