Integrated psychosocial support in the ICU.

Purpose of review: During treatment in the ICU, patients, relatives, as well as staff members are exposed to a variety of potentially traumatic experiences. The study explores current concepts to prevent negative effects on mental health resulting from intensive care treatment.

Recent findings: Most healthcare systems rely on consultation or liaison services to address mental health issues provided by mental health experts based outside of the ICU. Those services usually react to manifest comorbid mental conditions, but are less effective to prevent mental health issues. Integrated psychosocial support (IPS) models acknowledge the fact that psychosocial demands are inherent to ICU treatment rather than an individual concern. First experiences support the assumption that clinical psychologists embedded within the ICU team effectively address the need of early identification of mental health issues, and are able to intervene timely and appropriately to traumatic events on the unit. They professionalize psychosocial support structures and facilitate low-threshold support for team members.

Summary: Psychologists integrated in the ICU team can effectively target psychosocial needs of patients and relatives with varying complexity. They support the ICU team by taking on those tasks, and contribute to the overall resilience of the ICU team and its members.