Publications
iRehab Trial Results:
JAMA Paper
Results Video
Video Transcript:
Why did we do this trial?
People treated in intensive care need a great deal of specialist care and support. After being discharged home from hospital some people experience muscle weakness, fatigue, breathlessness, memory problems and poor emotional well-being. Recovery can be difficult, and day-to-day tasks can be hard. For most people, these problems get better on their own, but for some, they may continue for a long time after leaving hospital. People want to get back to living their life, and to do that, support is needed.
What did we do?
iRehab aimed to find out if a rehabilitation programme can help patients recover more quickly and better than standard NHS care, after being in intensive care. 429 participants across 52 hospitals in the UK participated in iRehab. 57% were male and the average age was 55 years. Study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 198 people received Group 1 consisting of usual NHS care currently given to patients who have been in intensive care. 231 people received Group 2, known as the iRehab programme. The iRehab team designed a new support and exercise rehabilitation programme, based on the needs identified by patients. The programme was delivered remotely by trained staff once a week for 6-weeks, and included targeted exercises, symptom management sessions and psychological support. Before receiving one of these groups, participants were asked to complete some study assessments. We then collected the same information again two months and 6 months later. These assessments gathered information about how being in an intensive care unit affected a person’s physical and mental health, quality of life and general fitness.
What were the results?
Following analysis of this information, findings showed that those who received the iRehab programme, although not significant, had a greater improvement in quality of life at 8 weeks than the group who received standard NHS care and, by 6 months, this improvement was significantly better. Participants who had been on a breathing machine for 7 days or less also had significantly improved quality of life. Participants who received the iRehab programme also had significantly fewer symptoms of fatigue and anxiety and improved lower body strength and endurance at 8 weeks and 6 months. Evidence also showed that iRehab was safe, acceptable and enjoyable to participants.
What does this mean?
The NHS is striving to provide better support for people discharged from intensive care. We are confident the information from this robust clinical trial will be useful for healthcare professionals who should consider offering iRehab to support recovery. This trial was supported by a large research team and funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research.
This trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) HTA NIHR 132871. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Results Translations
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Enquiries:
Please direct all enquiries to the iRehab team;
Kerry Raynes: Trial Manager
Katherine Jones, Research Fellow
Email: iRehab@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 02476151367