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The following is a summary of “Do Danish ICU Survivors Remain Employed After ICU Discharge? A Register-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study,” published in the November 2024 issue of Critical Care by Hellmann et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine employment outcomes among Danish patients admitted to ICU and surviving after discharge.  

They analyzed data from 16,284 Danish survivors of ICU aged 25–67, matched 1:1 by age and sex with general population references. Weekly prevalence of employment, public benefits, and mortality were calculated using the Danish Register-Based Evaluation and Marginalization Database and the Danish Civil Registration System until December 31, 2019. Age- and multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were determined through Cox and Fine-Gray models. The study focused on Danish residents admitted to public ICU care for critical illness from 2010 to 2018 within a tax-funded healthcare system offering free treatment and social benefits.  

The results showed the employment prevalence among survivors of ICU increased from 30% at 2–8 weeks to 56% at 52 weeks after discharge, with women showing a minor delay. The employment rates decreased with age, ranging from 63% in those aged 25–42 years to 52% in those aged 59–63 years, 52 weeks post-discharge. Employment prevalence also declined with higher comorbidity, with 64%, 53%, and 37% employment rates for survivors of ICU with Charlson Comorbidity Index scores of 0, 1–2, and ≥3, respectively, after 52 weeks. The patients who survived ICU had significantly higher risks of retiring (HR, 14.86; 95% CI, 8.69–25.41) or being in sickness absence (HR, 7.56; 95% CI, 7.16–7.98) compared with general population references, after accounting for competing risks.  

Investigators concluded that approximately half of the survivors of ICU remained employed 52 weeks after discharge, with age and comorbidity influencing the outcome. 

Source: journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/abstract/9900/do_danish_icu_survivors_remain_employed_after_icu.415.aspx