What happens when my loved one is ready to leave the ICU?

As soon as a patient no longer needs ICU care, the team will put together a transfer plan. Where the patient is sent next depends on a number of factors including the patient’s medical condition and care needs.

There are several possible transfer pathways:

• Transfer to a general ward of the hospital;
• Transfer to a community hospital close to the patient’s home;
• Transfer to a rehabilitation hospital;
• Discharge directly home with support services arranged.

What happens after your loved one is transferred to a ward?

The transfer to the general ward of the hospital will occur once your loved one no longer needs ICU care and monitoring. Although this is a sign the patient’s condition is improving, it may still be a stressful transition for the family.

Rapid Response team

The Rapid Response team consists of critical-care specialists, such as nurses, physicians and respiratory therapists that will continue to check-up on the patient’s as needed.

If a patient is getting worse, then the Rapid Response Team will help manage the situation. They respond to wards when called. Moreover, they closely monitor ICU discharges if specifically requested by the ICU team. The goal is to improve the patient’s condition and avoid readmission to the ICU. But, if necessary, the patient will be transferred back to the ICU.

Life After the ICU

After a patient leaves the intensive care unit, it can be difficult to know what to expect. Your loved one will usually go from the ICU to the ward, and then either to a rehabilitation hospital, sometimes to a nursing home, or sometimes directly home from the hospital.

What can we expect after leaving the hospital?

ICU survivors have a number of experiences:

• Weakness and difficulty with physical tasks such as walking or climbing stairs. This weakness will usually improve over time, although some people still have a sense that their physical function is not normal;
• Changes in memory, thinking, or concentration;
• Changes in mood, such as sadness or anxiety;
• Memories of the ICU are confusing, unpleasant or frightening. Some people experience “flashbacks” of the ICU stay, which are difficult to understand. For some patients, a diary of the ICU stay kept by a family member may help to reduce these symptoms.

Although these symptoms may be a direct result of the patient’s stay in the ICU, they can also be caused by other medical conditions. If any of these symptoms occur, speak to doctors involved in the patient’s care.

Additionally, all trauma patients are automatically referred to the Jennifer Tory Trauma Recovery Clinic after discharge. The clinic provides an innovative model of care with a focus on improving patients' functional and psychological outcomes after traumatic injury. An intake coordinator will reach out approximately 3-4 weeks after discharge and go through a number of questions and short assessments to determine which additional services may be of benefit. For further information on the clinic, please see the website.