Contributions to Critical Care from Psychological Science and Practice

Abstract

In this chapter we highlight findings and practices from Psychology that can be applied to mitigate the impact of critical illness and the ICU environment on patients, families and staff. The substantial accumulating evidence for detrimental health effects of traumatic stress is highly relevant for the care of patients on the ICU, who are potentially traumatized by the experience and who may bring a history of trauma with them. The fields of trauma psychology and rehabilitation psychology share foundational principles to guide patient-centered and systemic changes to ICU care, and these principles guided our selection and presentation of material. Our discussion of how to implement these principles within a healthcare system is informed by selected findings from social, organizational and behavioral psychology, which also are summarized.