Skip to content

Hypnosis to Improve Well-beings of Critically Ill Patients and Prevent Post-intensive Care Syndrome

Hypnosis to Improve Well-beings of Critically Ill Patients and Prevent Post-intensive Care Syndrome

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07254299
Acronym
HypnoPICS
Enrollment
150
Registered
2025-11-28
Start date
2026-03-16
Completion date
2027-03-01
Last updated
2026-05-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)

Keywords

post intensive care syndrome, randomized controlled trail, hypnosis

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a hypnosis intervention in improving well-being at day 28 of an ICU stay. The main question it aims to answer is : -Does Hypnosis intervention at ICU discharge and on day 7 and 14 on the wards if the patient remains in the hospital, improve wellbeing at 28 days ? Researchers will compare discharged ICU patients who received standard post-discharge care to discharged ICU patients who received standard post-discharge care and hypnosis intervention on discharge and 7 and 14days after if they are still in the hospital, to see if hypnosis can improve their wellbeing. Participants will receive a hypnosis session on the day of ICU discharge, a second session seven days post-discharge and a third session at day 14 if they are still in the hospital.

Detailed description

Critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) face numerous challenges both acutely and in the long term. These patients frequently experience acute pain and anxiety due to intubation and induced comas. Following their ICU discharge, they commonly report decreased well-being and quality of life. Additionally, up to 40% of critically ill patients develop post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which includes mental, physical, and cognitive sequelae that can persist up to one year after discharge. Heavy sedation and medications necessary to manage pain and anxiety are known risk factors for PICS. The current standard of care in the ICU includes mobilization and nutrition, pain control, and family engagement and empowerment. Furthermore, no other specific interventions are aimed at improving long-term outcomes and preventing PICS. Several studies have explored using hypnosis to improve the acute care of ICU patients. For instance, a pain protocol that included hypnosis in burn patients hospitalized in the CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois) resulted in reduced pain intensity, reduced opioid use, reduced anxiety, and better wound outcomes, all while lowering costs. A pilot study involving non-invasive ventilation patients showed that hypnosis could improve comfort, mask tolerance, and anxiety levels. Additionally, studies on relaxation therapy have indicated that electronic relaxation therapy is a promising, safe, and effective non-pharmacological solution to enhance overall comfort in alert and non-delirious ICU patients. However, despite these efforts, there is a lack of efficient interventions specifically targeting the wellbeing of patients after an ICU stay and the prevention of PICS. Existing interventions, such as follow-up programs, rehabilitation, and psychological follow-up, have shown conflicting results. To date, no studies have specifically assessed the effect of hypnosis on the short and longer-term well-being of critically ill patients leaving the ICU and its possible effect on the prevention of PICS. The investigators hypothesize that providing a hypnosis session at ICU discharge and followed by subsequent sessions on days 7 and 14 on the ward will improve well-being in the short term and reduce PICS symptoms at 3-months. The primary outcome will be the assessment of well-being at day 28 post-ICU discharge. Secondary outcomes will be anxiety, depression, PTSD, and quality of life at three months. Hypothesis and primary objective The investigators hypothesize that providing intervention with hypnosis at ICU discharge and subsequent sessions on day 7 and 14 on the ward if the patient remains in the hospital will improve wellbeing at day 28 and reduce PICS symptoms at three months in critically ill patients. Primary Objective: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a hypnosis intervention in improving well-being at day 28 of an ICU stay. Scale used for wellbeing: * ESAS, total 90, each item on a 0-10 scale * EQ-5D-5L Secondary Objectives: 1. To assess the impact of a hypnosis intervention to improve PICS at 3 months * Anxiety and depression: PHQ-9 et GAD-7 * Post-traumatic stress disorder: PDI and IES-R scale * Quality of life: SF-12, EQ-5D-5L and WHODAS 2.0 * Patient impression of change: PGIC 2. To evaluate patient immediate wellbeing after the hypnosis intervention. • ESAS before after the session in patients who will get the session

Interventions

OTHERHypnosis

the hypnosis will be tailored to each patient. Key elements will include relaxation (to mitigate anxiety and stress and help the patient feel more comfortable, secure, and competent), reassociation techniques (to help the patient reconnect with their body, promoting a sense of embodiment and presence), and safe place (to introduce a safe and calming place to instill a sense of control and competence, aiding in emotional stabilization and fostering a sense of safety and well-being).

Sponsors

COEN Matteo
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* On Mechanical Ventilation for at least 2 days * Able to give informed consent as documented by signature * French speaking

Exclusion criteria

* Refusal of the patient * Patient transferred from another ICU * Patient is planned for a withdrawal of care or is actively dying * Glasgow coma scale (GCS) \<15 on ICU discharge * Patient presenting with delirium (detected by CAM-ICU) on ICU discharge * Patient hospitalized for traumatic brain injury * Patient is in jail * Patient hospitalized for more than 28 days in the ICU

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Wellbeing at day 28 post intensive care unit dischargeDay 28 post intensive care unit dischargeESAS scale (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) with a range from 0 to 100. Higher scores means worse wellbeing.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Immediate wellbeing following a hypnosis sessionDay 1 (Day of discharge from ICU), day 7, day 141\) ESAS scale before and after the hypnosis session performed on Day 1 (ICU discharge), Day 7 and D14 -The ESAS scale (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) has a range from 0 to 100.
PDI - Peritraumatic distress inventoryday 28 post ICU dischargePDI (Peritraumatic distress index, range: 13-65)
PHQ-9 - Patient Health Questionnaire-9Day 28 post intensive care unit discharge and 3 months post intensive carePHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9: range 0-27) will be used to assess depressive symptoms at day 28 and 3 months
GAD-7 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7at day 28 and 3 months post ICU dischargeGAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, range 0-21) will be used to assess anxiety symptoms at day 28 and 3 months post ICU discharge
IES-R (Impact of event Scale)3 months post intensive care unit discharge. Higher score means more PTSD symptoms.Range: 0-88
EQ-5D-5L (Quality of life)Day 28 post intensive care unit discharge and 3 months post intensive care unit dischargePart 1) 5 dimensions: Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, Pain/discomfort, Anxiety/depression. The 5-digit health state is converted (via country-specific value set) to an index value Part 2) EQ VAS (Visual Analog Scale). Patient rates their health today from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean better quality of life.
PGIC - Patient Global Impression of ChangeDay 28 post intensive care unit discharge and 3 months post intensive care unit dischargeSingle-item global rating of how much the patient feels their condition has changed since a reference time. Higher scores means improvement. Scoring / range: 1-7

Countries

Switzerland

Contacts

CONTACTHannah Wozniak, Medical Doctor
hannah-wozniak@hug.ch+41
CONTACTJennifer B. C. S Muradbegovic, Doctor
jennifer.cau@hug.ch+41 79 55 36255
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORHannah Wozniak, Medical Doctor

University Hospital, Geneva

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMatteo Coen, MD, PHD

University Hospital, Geneva

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 5, 2026