Psychosocial Support Interventions for Adult Critically Ill Patients During the Acute Phase of Their ICU Stay: A Scoping Review

Background: Addressing Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients’ psychological well-being is crucial, yet psychosocial sup-port interventions that can facilitate effective coping, ultimately decreasing stress-related physiological, mental health and cognitive sequalae are not currently included in clinical practice guidelines and standards. Objective: To identify and synthesize research evidence on psychosocial support interventions in the ICU, including types of outcomes, measures of effectiveness and to explore research gaps and barriers to implementation. Method: The review was directed by a protocol based on current guidance for scoping reviews. Quality of studies were assessed using the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The review focused on articles containing evaluation of psychosocial interventions, through an experimental or quasi-experimental design, or pretest-posttest comparisons. Databases searched included Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychInfo and the Cochrane Library. Results: Ten highly heterogeneous studies were identified, encompassing diverse intervention (e.g., relaxation, psychotherapy, spirituality), and patient populations. Notably, only three randomized controlled trials were found, with just one adequately powered to assess effectiveness. The predominance of quasi-experimental designs and small sample sizes resulted in low internal validity of the evidence. Despite these limitations, the evidence reviewed supports that various psychological interventions, including positive suggestions, relaxation techniques, psychotherapy and spiritual and/or religious support can alleviate psychological sequelae, such as depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress in ICU patients. Conclusion: This review highlights the positive impact of psychosocial interventions on alleviating psychological distress in ICU patients. How-ever, a critical gap exists in understanding their effects on other clinical and physiological outcomes, necessitating com-prehensive research.