Dr. Jill Cameron: New Study Published in the New England Journal of Medicine
By
Jessica Boafo
A new Canadian study focusing on caregiver outcomes of critically ill patients reveals that caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, who have received mechanical ventilation for a minimum of seven days, are at a high risk of developing clinical depression persisting up to one year after discharge.
The study, led by Dr. Jill Cameron, highlights the need to consider the mental health of caregivers in post-ICU care.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 12, 2016, the study's findings suggest patients' illness severity, functional abilities, cognitive status and neuropsychological wellbeing are not associated with caregiver outcomes. Alternatively, characteristics of the caregiver and individual caregiving situation play a significant role in determining outcomes over the follow-up year.
This study is part of Phase one of the RECOVER Program, a multi-phase project, involving 10 intensive care units across Canada, co-led by Drs. Margaret Herridge, Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute, and Cameron, in collaboration with the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. The project aims to identify risk factors for patients and families with the goal of designing rehabilitation models to improve outcomes.
