The TEAM Long-Term Cohort Study (A Sub-study of TEAM(III))

Incomplete recovery following critical illness is a major public health problem in Australia.

Each year around 150,000 Australians are admitted to intensive care (ICU). These critically ill patients require substantial resources and invasive, expensive interventions. Approximately 10% die and many of the remaining patients who survive have delayed and compromised functional recovery. As many as 25% of the ICU survivors who were living at home prior to ICU are unable to return home due to impaired physical function. Globally, the quality of survival following an ICU admission has been identified as one of the largest health challenges for these patients. This study will address the quality of survival and long-term functional recovery for patients who require life support in ICU. These patients account for 62% of the total bed-days in Australian ICUs, with direct care costs of $2 billion per year. The long-term outcomes for these patients are very poor. In my Australian cohort study, 50% of patients who survived hospital had disability