On the Road to Recovery After Critical Illness

NCT ID: NCT04272684

Last Updated: 2021-06-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 80 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-02-26
• Study Completion Date: 2023-02-28

Brief Summary

Spending time on intensive care can affect people in many different ways. Ability to move, walk, concentrate and remember events can all be affected. People may find their mood is altered and anxiety, stress and reduced confidence are common. These symptoms are frequently grouped together in a term called 'post intensive care syndrome'. Recovery often takes time and can be challenging.

Returning to driving is an important milestone and can enable individuals to return to important activities such as work and hobbies. As a complex task, driving requires individuals to do many things at once which initially can be demanding. Currently there is limited guidance about driving after a period of time on intensive care.

This study is being carried out to increase understanding of driving difficulties after a stay on intensive care and how successful and safe return to driving can be ensured. It is known that a stay on intensive care can have many effects on the body but currently the best advice to give to patients about returning to drive is unknown. The investigators would like to gather information on how many people do and do not return to driving and the reasons for this so people can be provided with more accurate information in the future. Additionally, it is important to find out if the driving assessment is practical and achievable for individuals who have had a stay on intensive care.

Detailed Description

Recovery from critical illness is often prolonged and challenging due to a combination of acquired physical, psychological and cognitive impairments, which have been termed Post Intensive care syndrome (PICS). These impairments are common, slow to recover and have cumulative effects on patients' personal, social and financial wellbeing. An increasing awareness and recognition of PICS has prompted commitments to enhance multidisciplinary aftercare with the overall goal of improving patient-centred outcomes and health-related quality of life.

For many adult ICU survivors, resumption of driving is perceived as an important milestone in their recovery pathway. Driving is an advanced task reliant on complex physical and mental functioning. It also necessitates independence, self-confidence and motivation. As such clinicians may view the return to driving as an objective marker of recovery.

Furthermore, returning to drive accelerates resumption of "normal life", enablement of social interactions, hobbies, leisure activities, and most vitally, returning to work. This is not only because of its enabling effect on commuting to place of work. Approximately one million people in the UK are employed primarily as drivers, or are required to drive or operate motorised vehicles as part of their job. Thus driving after ICU is important for the UK economy as well as for patients' wellbeing and that of their loved ones. Reducing avoidable delay to driving ought therefore to be viewed as a low-cost high-impact intervention to enhance health-related quality of life.

Conditions

Post Intensive Care Syndrome

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Interventional

Driving Assessment

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Driving Assessment

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will undergo a driving assessment approximately two months after returning home from hospital

Interventions

Driving Assessment

Participants will undergo a driving assessment approximately two months after returning home from hospital

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult >18 years
• Severe critical illness and high risk PICS as defined by 72 hours or more of invasive mechanical ventilation in ICU
• Previously driving car in the 12 months prior to admission and currently holds UK category B driving licence (i.e.: car category)
• Able and willing to travel to Carshalton, Surrey and undergo full driving ability assessment and study follow up for a duration of 12 months
• Intention to resume driving, or has already resumed driving

Exclusion Criteria

• DVLA-confirmed long term driving ineligibility (as per existing DVLA medical guidance)
• Invalid, revoked or expired driving licence
• Deemed unlikely to return to independent living status due to e.g.: severe neurological injury, advanced cancer, progressive/degenerative condition, or other
• High risk of illness recurrence or readmission to hospital
• Social or neuropsychiatric circumstances deemed likely to adversely study participation

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Joel Meyer, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Locations

Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United Kingdom

Central Contacts

Chloe Apps, MSc

Role: CONTACT

chloe.apps@gstt.nhs.uk

02071888070

Facility Contacts

Chloe Apps

Role: primary

chloe.apps@gstt.nhs.uk

02071887188

Joel Meyer

Role: backup

joel.meyer@gstt.nhs.uk

02081887188

References

Apps C, Brooks K, Rose L, Meyer J, Pattison N. "Back on the road": Exploring experiences of driving resumption in patients recovering from critical illness. Aust Crit Care. 2025 Oct 24;38(6):101442. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2025.101442. Online ahead of print.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 41138521 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

262986

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id