This website was developed as a place to reach international consensus amongst clinicians; academics/researchers; and members of the interdisciplinary team involved in ICU patient management (nurses; intensivists) on a best practice physiotherapy clinical algorithm.

NOTE: The author had access to the clinical guidelines developed by the European respiratory Society of Intensive Care Medicine task force which was recently published (Gosselink et al 2008). These recommendations were incorporated into the algorithm where applicable.

	Delphi Study Results
The way forward These results will be collated into management algorithms using the following key words based on the consensus median rating DO Rating 1 SHOULD DO Rating 2 CONSIDER Rating 3 UNIMPORTANT Rating 4 DETRIMENTAL Rating 5 The evidence based protocol will be implemented over 4 three week periods in a surgical ICU starting 1 November 2008. Patient outcomes from protocol care will be compared to usual care. The abdominal surgery; rehabilitation and pulmonary dysfunction groups are currently working on publications for submission this year.

Site content:

• Why is it necessary to have an internationally validated best practice physiotherapy clinical algorithm?
• Process of development
• Structure of the site
• The electronic Delphi research process
• How will this internationally validated best practice physiotherapy clinical algorithm (BPPCA) be evaluated?
• Which outcomes will be measured?
• References

Rereferences

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Ferdinande P & Members of Task Force of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine 1997 Recommendations on minimal requirements for Intensive Care Departments. Intensive Care Medicine 23:226-232

Gosselink R., Bott J.,  Johnson M., Dean E., et al 2008 Physiotherapy for adult patients with critical illness:Recommendations of the European Respiratory Society and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Task Force on Physiotherapy for Critically Ill Patients. Intensive Care Medicine E publication

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Shea  B.J., Grimshaw J.M., Wells M.B., et al 2007 Development of AMSTAR: a measurement tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology 7:10

Templeton M. and Palazzo M.  2007 Chest physiotherapy prolongs duration of ventilation in the critically ill ventilated for more than 48 hours. Intensive Care Medicine 33:1938–1945

Van der Wees P.J., Hendriks E.J., Custers W.H. et al 2007   Comparison of international guideline programs to evaluate and update the Dutch program for clinical guideline development in physical therapy. BMC Health Services Research 7:191

Wall RJ, Dittus RS, Ely WE  2001 Protocol-driven care in the intensive care unit: a tool for quality Critical Care 5:283–285