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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05636371

Written Communication in the Intensive Care Unit

The goal of this study is to compare the experience of intensive care unit (ICU) families and care providers before and after the implementation of an approach whereby clinicians initiate written communication with families

The main questions it aims to answer are

1. Is ICU care-provider initiated written communication feasible and acceptable to participants? 2. Does ICU care-provider initiated written communication affect the experience of families and care providers?

Participants will complete surveys and participate in interviews during a 3 month pre-implementation phase and a 3 month post-implementation phase

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Key information

Conditions

Communication Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Burnout Burnout, Psychological Health Behavior Patient Satisfaction Satisfaction, Patient Stress, Psychological Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

(family members or surrogates)

  • Self-identify as one of the patient's decision makers

Exclusion criteria

(family members or surrogates)

  • Cannot read or understand English
  • Unwilling to participate in study procedures

Inclusion criteria

for care providers (physicians, physician assistants, and nurses)

  • Work during the day shift

Exclusion criteria

for care providers (physicians, physician assistants, and nurses)

  • None

Treatment and study plan

Written Communication

Other

Written patient care updates provided to families of ICU patients each day

Primary outcomes

  1. Family Inpatient Communication Survey (FICS)

    Time frame: 5 days after ICU admission

    The Family Inpatient Communication Survey (FICS) is a 30-item survey measuring of the quality of communication with the treatment team from the perspective of families of hospitalized patients. Items on this survey measure the informational and emotional aspects of communication, and each item of this survey is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The FICS has been validated in a study of 350 surrogates of hospitalized adults demonstrating the high internal reliability, predictive validity, and high item completion rates of this survey.

  2. Family Inpatient Communication Survey (FICS)

    Time frame: 10 days after ICU admission

    The Family Inpatient Communication Survey (FICS) is a 30-item survey measuring of the quality of communication with the treatment team from the perspective of families of hospitalized patients. Items on this survey measure the informational and emotional aspects of communication, and each item of this survey is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The FICS has been validated in a study of 350 surrogates of hospitalized adults demonstrating the high internal reliability, predictive validity, and high item completion rates of this survey.

  3. Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale (NPCS)

    Time frame: 3 months before the intervention

    The Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale (NPCS) is a 27-item survey measuring the level of collaboration between nurses and physicians based on three categories: joint participation in the decision-making process, the sharing of patient information, and cooperativeness.Items on this survey are rated on a 5-point scale with responses ranging from always to never. The NPCS has been validated in a study of 446 physicians and 1217 nurses at 27 hospitals.

  4. Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale (NPCS)

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    The Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale (NPCS) is a 27-item survey measuring the level of collaboration between nurses and physicians based on three categories: joint participation in the decision-making process, the sharing of patient information, and cooperativeness.Items on this survey are rated on a 5-point scale with responses ranging from always to never. The NPCS has been validated in a study of 446 physicians and 1217 nurses at 27 hospitals.

  5. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

    Time frame: 3 months before the intervention

    The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a 22-item survey measuring symptoms of burnout. The MBI has been validated for a variety of professions. The MBI has been used in past studies in the ICU to evaluate the level of burnout present among critical care clinicians and to assess for the effectiveness of interventions attempting to alleviate the degree of burnout syndrome. This survey examines the participant's perception of their work, physical and emotional exhaustion, sense of personal accomplishment, and degree of depersonalization. Items are presented as single statements, such as "I feel worn out at the end of a working day," and are rated on a scale of 0 to 6 with 0 being "never" and 6 being "every day."

  6. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a 22-item survey measuring symptoms of burnout. The MBI has been validated for a variety of professions. The MBI has been used in past studies in the ICU to evaluate the level of burnout present among critical care clinicians and to assess for the effectiveness of interventions attempting to alleviate the degree of burnout syndrome. This survey examines the participant's perception of their work, physical and emotional exhaustion, sense of personal accomplishment, and degree of depersonalization. Items are presented as single statements, such as "I feel worn out at the end of a working day," and are rated on a scale of 0 to 6 with 0 being "never" and 6 being "every day."

Secondary outcomes

  1. The Acceptability, Appropriateness and Feasibility of Intervention Survey (AIM, IAM and FIM)

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    Care providers will complete this 12-item psychometric assessment. Implementation science researchers have established the benchmarks and acceptance of this scale.

  2. The Post Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ)

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    The Post Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) is a 16-item PSSUQ survey that measures the acceptance of new technology. PSSUQ measures perception of information quality, interface quality, and overall intervention usefulness. Lewis et al have published on the high internal validity and sensitivity of this scale since 1992.

  3. The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ)

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) is a 8-item scale to measure the overall user experience of the family member(s) who used the communication intervention. The UEQ measures user experience on items including attractiveness, perspicuity, efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty. UEQ has high internal validity and has been benchmarked across numerous usability and user experience evaluation studies.

Other outcomes

  1. Qualitative analysis

    Time frame: 3 months after the intervention

    Semi-structured interviews with participants will be coded and examined using thematic content analysis.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Rush University Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Impact of WRitten Communication on the ICU Team Experience

Acronym: WRITE

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Dec 5, 2022
Registry last updated
Aug 31, 2023

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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