Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41338623›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Upper-limb rehabilitation interventions delivered by healthcare professionals for adult patients in the intensive care unit setting: protocol for a scoping review.

James Bruce, Ema Swingwood, Sarah Barrett, Emma Dures

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

James BruceUniversity Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England, UK james.bruce@uhbw.nhs.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-6793-1721
Ema SwingwoodUniversity Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1507-6748
Sarah BarrettUniversity Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England, UK.
Emma DuresUniversity Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-8607

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPost-intensive care syndrome affects up to 70% of adult intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, with ICU-acquired weakness contributing substantially to long-term disability. Despite evidence supporting early and structured rehabilitation to enhance physical recovery, targeted upper-limb rehabilitation approaches in the ICU remain comparatively underexplored. This scoping review will map and summarise existing evidence on upper-limb weakness and rehabilitation strategies delivered by healthcare professionals for critically ill adults. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review protocol has been developed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, ensuring transparent and comprehensive reporting. Searches will be conducted in MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The search will include studies published between March 2009 and August 2025, aligning with National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guideline CG83 (2009), which marked a major policy shift in ICU rehabilitation practice. Quantitative data will be summarised descriptively (eg, frequencies and proportions), while qualitative data will undergo thematic synthesis to identify patterns in experiences, perceptions and implementation of upper-limb rehabilitation. Grey literature (eg, OpenGrey and relevant conference proceedings) will also be screened to reduce publication bias. Rayyan AI software will be used to manage citation screening and reviewer collaboration; no artificial intelligence-assisted decision tools will be used to determine study inclusion. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: As this review will synthesise previously published data, ethical approval is not required. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and open-access platforms. Findings from this review will inform the development of evidence-based ICU rehabilitation guidelines and highlight priorities for future research to improve upper-limb recovery in critically ill adults. STUDY REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework (osf.io/j86nf).

Indexed as

Critical CareCritical IllnessIntensive Care UnitsUpper ExtremityAdultHumansResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicAdult intensive & critical carePatient-Centered CareProtocols & guidelinesREHABILITATION MEDICINE

Identifiers

PMID41338623
PMCPMC12682189

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.