Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has launched a new Virtual ICU Tour, a pioneering initiative designed to support survivors of critical illness and their families in making sense of their experience in intensive care.
Funded through the Adelaide Health Foundation’s New Initiatives Scheme, TUH says the project reflects its strategic commitment to innovation, compassion, and excellence in patient-centred care.
Each year, hundreds of patients are admitted to the Hospital’s Critical Care Service with life-threatening illnesses or injuries. While some spend only a few days in ICU, others remain for weeks or longer. Survivors often report limited or fragmented memories of their time in critical care, with many experiencing distressing hallucinations or delusions due to delirium – a condition affecting up to 80% of ICU patients globally.
In line with the Hospital’s strategy to explore innovative ways of enhancing recovery and wellbeing, the Hospital’s multidisciplinary team identified the need for a resource that could help patients process their experience. The Virtual ICU Tour, now available on the Hospital’s YouTube channel, offers a guided walkthrough of the unit led by ICU staff. It explains the sights, sounds, and sensations patients may have encountered, helping to bridge gaps in memory and aid recovery.
Dr. Melanie Ryberg Clinical Psychologist at TUH, said, “For many ICU survivors the experience of recovery is not just physically challenging, it is often psychologically overwhelming, with recovery continuing far beyond discharge home. While some patients have no memory of their time in ICU, others remember aspects of their experience, but can have difficulty making sense of those memories. Many patients will remember strange and sometimes very frightening experiences, which often arise as part of delirium, which is very common in ICU. The Virtual Tour offers a safe and supported way to revisit that environment, helping patients make sense of what happened as they continue their recovery journey.”
The initiative also benefits families.. The video helps demystify the critical care environment, offering insight into the medicalised setting and reducing fear or anxiety associated with it.
Niamh Gavin, CEO of the Adelaide Health Foundation said, “We are delighted to fund this project through our New Initiatives Scheme. The Virtual ICU Tour exemplifies the kind of compassionate, forward-thinking care we strive to support, one that recognises the emotional and psychological needs of patients and families, not just the clinical ones. It is a powerful example of how TUH is delivering on its strategic vision.”
“The patient is always at the forefront of any new developments and the team working on this project were most grateful to ICU survivors for giving us some feedback on the content and also feedback on the final production.”
