Rehabilitation & PICS
The Rehabilitation & PICS section is led by Stefan Schaller.
Rehabilitation & PICS News
WhatsApp Community
If you want to stay up to date about everything happening within the Rehabilitation & PICS section, join the WhatsApp Community here.
Please contact the Section Chair (2025-2027: Stefan Schaller, +43 1 40400-41020) with any questions related to the Section.
History
The Section Rehabilitation & PICS (PICS = Post Intensive Care Syndrome) was applied in Summer 2025 by Prof. Stefan Schaller and approved by the Executive Committee and the Council on 26 October 2025.
Activities & Focus Areas
The Section meets regularly to develop, support, and share scientific and educational initiatives, including: multicentre research on ICU-acquired weakness, cognitive and emotional sequelae, frailty, and long-term functional outcomes; implementation frameworks for early mobilisation in the ICU; long-term follow-up and survivorship programmes (including digital health); development and harmonisation of standardised outcome measures and core datasets for recovery and PICS/PICS-F research; and contribution to ESICM educational activities throughout the year and at LIVES.
Resources
Research
Projects
ERUPT
ESICM-endorsed study: Early rehabilitation of intensive care unit patients – a multinational prospective observational study on dosage and outcome. Schaller – International Recruiting starting Jan 2026
PICS-DACH
This is a research consortium of the German speaking countries (DE, CH, AT) investigating PICS risk factors and PICS. Weiß – Consortium built, Patient recruiting starting Q1 2026.
Guidelines
Guideline on positioning and early mobilisation in the critically ill by an expert panel. Evidence-based guideline on early mobilizsation. Schaller – 2024. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-024-07532-2
Australian clinical practice guideline for physical rehabilitation and mobilisation in adult intensive care units. Australian guideline on early mobilization – 2025. https://www.australiancriticalcare.com/article/S1036-7314(25)00065-7/fulltext
Guideline on multimodal rehabilitation for patients with post-intensive care syndrome – 2023.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-023-04569-5
S2e Guideline on Multimodal Neurorehabilitation Concepts for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) – 2022. https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/080-007
Instruments to measure outcomes of post-intensive care syndrome in outpatient care settings – Results of an expert consensus and feasibility field test. Weiß – 2021. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1751143720923597
Useful links
- Functional measurements: https://www.improvelto.com/
- Mobilization Network: https://mobilization-network.org/category/icu-care/
- Resources of the ICU Rehab Network: https://icurehabnetwork.org/resources/