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NCT Number: NCT07796035

Understanding Communication Barriers in Acute Care: A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment Among Healthcare Providers Caring for Non-Verbal Patients With Spinal Cord Injury and Tracheostomy in the ICU

Communication impairment is common among critically ill patients who are mechanically ventilated, have tracheostomies, or have neurological injuries such as spinal cord injury. In acute care settings, inability to communicate contributes to patient distress, impairs symptom assessment, and may delay care. Although a range of communication supports exist, many are difficult to use in patients with severe weakness, limited endurance, or fluctuating cognition. More advanced assistive communication systems, including eye-tracking and brain-computer interface platforms, have shown promise in chronic neurological populations but have not been well adapted to the practical realities of acute care.

This study will use a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design to better understand communication barriers in acute care from the perspective of frontline healthcare providers. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with nurses and speech-language pathologists working with patients who have spinal cord injury, tracheostomy, or other causes of impaired verbal communication in ICU and related acute care settings. Findings from these interviews will inform development of a structured survey to be distributed to a broader group of nurses and speech-language pathologists. Qualitative and quantitative findings will then be integrated to identify priority communication needs, limitations of current strategies, and practical requirements for future assistive communication tools. Findings will inform development of clinically relevant communication solutions for acute care environments.

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Key information

Conditions

Communication Barriers Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Spinal Cord Diseases Spinal Cord Injuries Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 1M9, Canada

About this study

This study will employ a two-stage sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the first stage, semi-structured interviews (N=10-15) and, where feasible, focus groups will be conducted with ICU clinicians and rehabilitation staff to identify communication barriers and priority use cases for assistive communication in nonverbal patients. Themes emerging from qualitative analysis will inform the development of a structured survey, which will be administered to a broader cohort of clinical staff (N=80-100) to quantify the prevalence and relative importance of identified communication gaps. Findings from the qualitative and quantitative phases will be integrated to generate a clinical requirements framework to inform the future development of assistive communication tools for acute care settings.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • be a healthcare provider such as physicians, registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, or physiotherapists;
  • work in ICU, spine, neurosurgical, or related acute care inpatient settings;
  • have experience caring for patients with impaired verbal communication, including patients with tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, or spinal cord injury; and
  • be able to provide informed consent. A small subset of family caregivers may also be included if they have direct experience supporting communication for patients with impaired verbal communication in these settings.

Exclusion criteria

  • Individuals not directly involved in the care of patients with impaired verbal communication in the relevant clinical settings
  • Trainees who are not yet independently practicing, unless they are participating in an independent clinical role
  • Family caregivers without direct experience supporting communication needs in the acute care setting

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. High-priority Communication Needs in Acute Care

    Time frame: At completion of the 3-5-minute survey on Day 1

    Communication needs identified as high priority by healthcare providers based on their ratings of the importance and frequency of communication needs experienced by patients with impaired verbal communication in acute care settings. The survey will also assess which communication functions healthcare providers consider most important for inclusion in future assistive communication interfaces.

  2. Priority of Communication Needs in Acute Care

    Time frame: Stage 1 interviews and Stage 2 survey; approximately Months 3-4

    Healthcare providers' ratings of the importance and frequency of communication needs experienced by patients with impaired verbal communication in acute care settings. Priority communication needs will be identified through thematic analysis of interviews and quantified in the Stage 2 survey using importance and frequency ratings.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Current Communication Strategies and Perceived Limitations

    Time frame: Stage 1 interviews and Stage 2 survey; approximately Months 3-4

    Identification and characterization of communication strategies currently used by healthcare providers, including low-technology and augmentative and alternative communication approaches, and perceived limitations or barriers associated with their use. Findings will be derived from qualitative interviews and summarized quantitatively in the survey where applicable.

  2. Priority Communication Functions for Bedside Use

    Time frame: Stage 2 survey; approximately Month 4

    Healthcare providers' prioritization of communication functions considered most appropriate for a simplified bedside assistive communication interface. Participants will select a limited number of communication functions from those identified during the qualitative phase.

  3. Workflow and Implementation Feasibility Requirements

    Time frame: Stage 1 interviews and Stage 2 survey; approximately Months 3-4

    Healthcare providers' perceptions of practical requirements for implementing assistive communication tools in acute care, including acceptable setup time, training requirements, workflow integration, and environmental or clinical barriers.

Other outcomes

  1. Communication System Functional Requirements

    Time frame: Stage 1 interviews and Stage 2 survey; approximately Months 3-4

    Identification of functional and interface requirements for future assistive communication systems, including required communication tasks, presentation/interface considerations, contextual information, and usability requirements. Requirements will be identified through thematic analysis and prioritized using survey findings.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jason Chui, MBChB, FRCPC

CONTACT

[email protected]

604-875-4111 ext. 66378

Shirley Lim, BSN, BS-HRIM

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of British Columbia

Other

Collaborators

  • Vancouver General Hospital

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 31, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 31, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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