1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
2Transplant Research Center, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea
3Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea
4Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
5Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
6College of Nursing, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea
7Institute for Evidence-Based Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
8Cochrane Korea, Seoul, Korea
9Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
10Department of Critical Care Medicine, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University College of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Korea
11Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea
12Physical Therapy Unit, Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
13Occupational Therapy Unit, Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
14Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin, Korea
15Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
16Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Korea
17Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Ajou University, Suwon, Korea
18Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
19Department of Surgery, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
20Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea
21Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
22Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
23Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
24Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea
25Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
26Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea
27College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
28Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
29Department of Nursing, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea
30Department of Critical Care Nursing, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
31Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
32Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
© 2026 The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
FUNDING
This research was supported by a grant from the Patient-Centered Clinical Research Coordinating Center (PACEN), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant No. RS-2024-00397935).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
None.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Conceptualization: JGD, YN, GYS. Data curation: all authors. Formal analysis: all authors. Methodology: JGD, YN, CRC, HJY. Project administration: JGD, YN. Supervision: GYS, HJY. Funding acquisition: GYS. Writing – original draft: JGD, HJY, CRC, YN. Writing – review & editing: all authors. All authors read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Strength of recommendations and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. Conditional recommendations indicate that different choices may be appropriate depending on patient characteristics, clinical context, patient or family preferences, and resource availability. Strong recommendations may be issued despite low or very low certainty of evidence when patient safety considerations predominate.
KQ: key clinical question; ICU: intensive care unit; NMES: neuromuscular electrical stimulation; IMT: inspiratory muscle training; NICU: neonatal intensive care unit.
These criteria are provided as illustrative examples and should be adapted according to institutional protocols, available monitoring, rehabilitation intensity, and individual patient conditions. Suggested numeric thresholds are not intended as mandatory cutoffs and should be interpreted in conjunction with overall clinical judgment. Clinicians may choose to withhold, modify, continue, pause, or stop rehabilitation depending on the overall clinical context.
PEEP: positive end-expiratory pressure; FiO₂: fraction of inspired oxygen; SpO₂: peripheral oxygen saturation.
These examples are provided to support clinical decision-making and should not be interpreted as mandatory criteria. Application should be individualized based on overall clinical judgment, patient tolerance, rehabilitation goals, safety criteria, and institutional resources.
FiO₂: fraction of inspired oxygen; ECMO: extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
| KQ | Recommendation | Strength | Certainty of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| KQ 1 | We suggest providing structured early rehabilitation soon after ICU admission in critically ill patients, provided that hemodynamic instability or other major contraindications are absent. | Conditional for | Moderate |
| KQ 2 | We recommend that institutions establish and consistently apply predefined criteria for withholding or stopping physical rehabilitation in critically ill patients. | Strong for | Very low |
| KQ 3 | We suggest using NMES or in-bed cycle ergometry as adjunctive rehabilitation modalities in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. | Conditional for | Very low |
| KQ 4 | We suggest providing rehabilitation sessions at least twice daily for medically stable critically ill adults at high risk of functional decline who can tolerate repeated sessions. | Conditional for | Very low |
| KQ 5 | We suggest applying IMT in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. | Conditional for | Moderate |
| KQ 6 | We suggest not diagnosing dysphagia based solely on bedside swallowing screening after extubation in critically ill patients. | Conditional against | Very low |
| KQ 7 | We recommend providing swallowing rehabilitation for critically ill patients with dysphagia after extubation. | Strong for | Moderate |
| KQ 8 | We suggest considering cognitive rehabilitation for critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. | Conditional for | Low |
| KQ 9 | We suggest providing occupational therapy as part of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. | Conditional for | Moderate |
| KQ 10 | We suggest not routinely providing high-dose protein supplementation during ICU rehabilitation in critically ill patients at this time. | Conditional against | Low |
| KQ 11 | We suggest providing developmentally focused physical rehabilitation for neonates admitted to the NICU when clinically appropriate. | Conditional for | Moderate |
| KQ 12 | We suggest providing feeding and swallowing rehabilitation for neonates admitted to the NICU who have feeding or swallowing difficulties or are expected to have delayed feeding or swallowing development. | Conditional for | Moderate |
| KQ 13 | We suggest considering early physical rehabilitation selectively for critically ill pediatric ICU patients who meet predefined safety criteria, guided by clinical judgment and patient-specific characteristics. | Conditional for | Low |
| KQ 14 | We suggest providing early swallowing evaluation and intervention for pediatric ICU patients when dysphagia is suspected. | Conditional for | Very low |
| KQ 15 | We suggest post-ICU follow-up care for critical illness survivors, considering available clinical resources and individual patient circumstances. | Conditional for | Low |
| Domain | Suggested criteria (example) |
|---|---|
| Respiratory | PEEP >10 cm H₂O; FiO₂ >0.6; SpO₂ <90% or a sustained drop of ≥20% from baseline; respiratory rate <5 or >35 breaths/min; increasing oxygen or ventilatory support requirement |
| Hemodynamic | Systolic blood pressure <90 or >200 mm Hg; mean arterial pressure <65 or >110 mm Hg; heart rate <40 or >130 beats/min or a >20% change from baseline; new-onset or uncontrolled arrhythmia; need for vasopressor dose escalation |
| Neurological | Decreased level of consciousness; agitation or delirium preventing safe participation; new focal neurological deficit |
| Patient tolerance | Severe fatigue, dizziness, new chest pain or dyspnea, intolerable pain, or patient request to stop |
| Device-related | Risk of dislodgement or accidental removal of endotracheal tube, tracheostomy, vascular catheter, drainage tube, or other critical devices |
| Others | Active bleeding; inability to cooperate with the rehabilitation program; any other condition judged by the treating team to pose unacceptable risk |
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Medically stable patients | Hemodynamically stable patients; FiO₂ <0.6; receiving low-dose and non-escalating vasopressors |
| High risk of functional decline | Older age; mechanical ventilation; ECMO support; after major surgery, including organ transplantation |
| Able to participate in rehabilitation | Able to follow simple commands; no uncontrolled agitation or delirium preventing safe participation; analgesia and sedation appropriately controlled |
| Patients insufficiently responsive to a single daily session | Severe weakness allowing only short exercise duration; patients who may benefit from splitting sessions because of fatigue |
| Patients with rapid recovery between sessions | Patients who tolerated previous sessions well and recovered quickly enough to permit an additional session |
Strength of recommendations and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. Conditional recommendations indicate that different choices may be appropriate depending on patient characteristics, clinical context, patient or family preferences, and resource availability. Strong recommendations may be issued despite low or very low certainty of evidence when patient safety considerations predominate. KQ: key clinical question; ICU: intensive care unit; NMES: neuromuscular electrical stimulation; IMT: inspiratory muscle training; NICU: neonatal intensive care unit.
These criteria are provided as illustrative examples and should be adapted according to institutional protocols, available monitoring, rehabilitation intensity, and individual patient conditions. Suggested numeric thresholds are not intended as mandatory cutoffs and should be interpreted in conjunction with overall clinical judgment. Clinicians may choose to withhold, modify, continue, pause, or stop rehabilitation depending on the overall clinical context. PEEP: positive end-expiratory pressure; FiO₂: fraction of inspired oxygen; SpO₂: peripheral oxygen saturation.
These examples are provided to support clinical decision-making and should not be interpreted as mandatory criteria. Application should be individualized based on overall clinical judgment, patient tolerance, rehabilitation goals, safety criteria, and institutional resources. FiO₂: fraction of inspired oxygen; ECMO: extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.