Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05722431

Ethical Deliberation in the Intensive Care Unit, Impact of Formalized Multidisciplinary Team Meetings, a Pilot Study

Most patients who die in the intensive care unit do so after a withholding or withdrawing of life sustaining treatments (WWLST) decision. The implementation of formalized interdisciplinary team meetings for ethical deliberation in the ICU may improve nurses participation in WWLST decisions. The investigators decided to implement such team meetings in their ICU. At this occasion, the investigators will measure job satisfaction, job related frustration and ethical decision making climate climate.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Ethics, Narrative Behavior Communication Narration

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Trauma and surgical intensive care unit, Tours University Hospital

Tours, 37000, France

About this study

Most patients who die in the intensive care unit do so after a withholding or withdrawing of life sustaining treatments (WWLST) decision. Because those decisions are value-laden, guidelines as well as french regulations recommend that they should involve not only medical doctors but also nurses. Despite that, nurses' involvement remains incomplete. Poor collaboration between doctors and nurses on ethical decisions is associated with job dissatisfaction, burnout and desire to quit. The implementation of formalized interdisciplinary team meetings for ethical deliberation in the ICU may improve nurses participation in WWLST decisions.

For those reasons the investigators decided to implement such team meetings in their ICU. At this occasion, the investigators will measure job satisfaction, job related frustration and ethical decision making climate climate.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • All patients admitted in the ICU

Exclusion criteria

  • Age below 18

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in nurses perception of ethical decision making climate in the ICU

    Time frame: june 2023, january 2024

    Nurses answers to the questionnaire "Ethical Decision-Making Climate Questionnaire (7 factors evaluated, for each factor score ranges from 1 to 5, higher scores indicate a better climate)".

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in nurses psychological well being at work

    Time frame: 2 evaluations: may 2023, january 2024

    Nurses answers to the Index of psychological well being at work (5 factors, for each factor score ranges from 1 to 5, higher scores indicate more well being).

  2. Change in nurses frustration of job's related psychological needs

    Time frame: 2 evaluations: may 2023, january 2024

    Nurses answers to the Job related psychological needs frustration score (3 factors, for each factor score ranges from 1 to 5, higher score indicate more frustration)

  3. Change in nurses desire to leave

    Time frame: 2 evaluations: may 2023, january 2024

    Nurses answers to a one question questionnaire:

    "I have thoughts about leaving my current position/job" (lickert scale, score range from 1 to 5, higher score indicate a higher desire to leave)

  4. Non beneficial care

    Time frame: January 2024

    Duration of mechanical ventilation in patients who ultimately die (number of days)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Tours

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Feb 10, 2023
Registry last updated
May 1, 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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.