Multidisciplinary care for ICU-Acquired Weakness in Adults: a scoping review

This scoping review aimed to map evidence on multiprofessional care recommendations and protocols for adults with ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW), identifying practices and gaps in the literature. The review was conducted in accordance with the methodological recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported following the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The search was performed in March 2025 in the MEDLINE/PubMed, BVS, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases, using DeCS/MeSH descriptors combined with free-text terms. Original articles, reviews, and clinical guidelines published from 2020 onwards, in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, were included. A total of 734 records were identified, of which 373 remained after duplicate removal. Following screening and full text reading, 17 studies were included. The findings indicate the use of strategies such as early mobilization, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and multiprofessional care organization in the management of ICU-AW. Heterogeneity among interventions was observed, as well as the absence of widely standardized and integrated protocols in the intensive care context. It is concluded that, although different strategies are described in the literature, gaps persist regarding the standardization and integration of multiprofessional care, highlighting the need for studies that support the consolidation of more consistent recommendations for clinical practice.