Job Opportunities and Obstacles in ICU Survivors (JOBS-ICU)

Each year, millions of Americans are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), and survival rates continue to improve. However, many ICU survivors, particularly older adults, experience lasting impairments that disrupt recovery, especially their ability to return to work (RTW). Employment is a vital marker of independence, stability, and purpose, yet few studies have examined RTW as a primary post-ICU outcome. JOBS-ICU (Job Opportunities and Obstacles in ICU Survivors) is a prospective cohort study of 336 previously employed ICU survivors requiring ≥48 hours of mechanical ventilation. JOBS-ICU leverages an established ecological framework to evaluate individual (e.g., age, post-ICU impairments; Aim 1), social and economic (e.g., pre-ICU job characteristics, financial stress, and healthcare access; Aim 2), and societal (e.g., community-level social and economic challenges; Aim 3) determinants of return to work. To gain a comprehensive understanding of these determinants, JOBS-ICU employs a well-established Core Outcomes Measurement Set (COMS) comprised of validated instruments. Longitudinal follow-up (e.g., 3, 6, and 12 months after ICU discharge) will be conducted via smartphone-based evaluations, a cost-effective, scalable, and convenient method of data collection. In Aim 4, JOBS-ICU incorporates survivor focus groups to gather detailed accounts of the RTW experience, uncovering motivations, perceived challenges, and facilitators. Through these discussions, survivors can share their post- ICU stories, shedding light on the intricacies of their RTW journey and informing the development of targeted interventions. Analyses will focus on multilevel determinants of RTW within 12 months of ICU discharge, with additional analyses examining RTW among older (≥50 years old) survivors, time to RTW, reduced employment (e.g., job loss after RTW), early retirement, and the reciprocal relationship between joblessness and post-ICU impairments. The JOBS-ICU multidisciplinary team brings broad expertise in critical care, RTW research, ICU survivorship, recruitment and retention, advanced mixed-methods approaches, and participant and community partner engagement. Engagement of community partners and a Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a central component of JOBS-ICU, with Goodwill Industries of San Diego County serving as a key partner in employment resource coordination, focus group planning, and future intervention development. Overall, JOBS-ICU will address critical knowledge gaps regarding post-ICU RTW following critical illness and inform targeted, scalable intervention strategies to support work recovery and long-term independence in ICU survivors. Project Number: 1R01AG101353-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute on Aging (NIA) | Principal Investigator: Biren Kamdar | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, LA JOLLA, CA | Award Amount: $673,771 | Activity Code: R01 | Study Section: Community Influences on Health Behavior Study Section[CIHB] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11346901