ViennaPICS Research Group

At the forefront of clinical innovation, our team is dedicated to addressing the challenges of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), pioneering the integration of technology and health care. Although modern intensive care therapies have significantly improved survival from critical illness, the road to full recovery extends beyond survival. Our mission is to mitigate the long-term effects of PICS, a complex condition that leaves survivors with lasting physical, psychological, and cognitive challenges. By implementing a structured, multidisciplinary aftercare programme, our 'PICS Study Clinic' aims to transform post-discharge care and enhance acute care with connected technologies. Our journey began with co-creation workshops with our former intensive care patients. This led to the start of the PICS Study Clinic as part of the IHI-funded Safe and Smart ICU (SASICU) project. With the support of our patients and colleagues worldwide, we assembled an interdisciplinary team at the Medical University of Vienna (MUW) to open a follow-up clinic for ICU survivors in January 2024. This 'PICS clinic', part of an IHI-supported research project, aims to create a predictive model for PICS by integrating ICU data with structured post-discharge examinations. This initiative, which could lead to a reevaluation of current ICU strategies, aims to prevent PICS and marks the first recording of PICS incidence at a centre in Austria. In collaboration with European universities and companies led by Dräger, we are at the forefront of using connected technologies to predict and prevent PICS by augmenting human expertise. Supported by the Innovative Health Initiative, our journey underscores our commitment to improving patient care through interdisciplinary collaboration, placing the patient at the centre of our innovative healthcare solutions.