ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
Psychoactive Medication Prescribing After Critical Illness in American Adults Not Justified by a Documented Supporting Diagnosis
Authors' conclusion
Although the prevalence of new PM prescribing to American ICU survivors in the 30 days after discharge is relatively low, nearly half is not supported by a documented diagnosis.
Study context
- Population
- US adults admitted to an ICU requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, 2018–2019, not prescribed a psychoactive medication (PM) in the prior year
- Participants
- 7,898 adults
- Outcome
- New PM prescribing without a documented supporting diagnosis
- Follow-up
- 30 days postdischarge
Methodological detailsUS claims database (PharMetrics Plus for Academics)
- US claims database (PharMetrics Plus for Academics)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Patients newly prescribed a PM
- 416 of 7898 (5.3%)
- New PM prescriptions
- 484
- Prescriptions without a documented supporting diagnosis
- 207 (42.8%)
- Antipsychotics without supporting diagnosis
- 54 of 103 (52.4%)
- Anxiolytics without supporting diagnosis
- 88 of 193 (45.6%)
- Sleep aids without supporting diagnosis
- 5 of 12 (41.7%)
- Antidepressants without supporting diagnosis
- 60 of 176 (44.1%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
New PM prescriptions by class · 30 days postdischarge
- Anxiolytics
- 193 (39.9%)
- Antidepressants
- 176 (36.2%)
- Antipsychotics
- 103 (21.3%)
- Sleep aids
- 12 (2.5%)
Subgroups associated with greater PM prescribing without supporting diagnosis (subgroup) · 30 days
- Age younger than 65 (antipsychotics); no history of dementia (anxiolytics); discharge to home (antidepressants, antipsychotics); ICU readmission (sleep aids)
New PM prescribing without supporting diagnosis over 2 years
- 31-90 d
- 24.7%
- 91-180 d
- 37.8%
- 181-365 d
- 42.7%
- 366-730 d
- 36.6%
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Psychoactive Medication Prescribing After Critical Illness in American Adults Not Justified by a Documented Supporting Diagnosis. Crit Care Med. Published 13 August 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →