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The effect of diaries written by relatives for intensive care patients on posttraumatic stress (DRIP study): protocol for a randomized controlled trial and mixed methods study.

ABSTRACT: Background:Critically ill patients and their relatives have complex needs for support during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the post-ICU rehabilitation period. Diaries written by nurses have proven beneficial for patients and relatives, preventing post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression and helping patients and families find meaning. Actively involving relatives in writing a diary for critically ill patients is a new approach to helping relatives and patients cope; however, research is limited.The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that a diary written by a close relative of a critically ill patient will reduce the risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the patient and relatives at 3 months post-ICU. Furthermore, the aim is to explore the perceptions and use of the diary and describe the diary content and structure. Method:The intervention consists of a hard-cover notebook that will be given to a close relative to write a diary for the critically ill patient while in the ICU. Guidance will be offered by ICU nurses on how to author the diary. The effect of the intervention will be tested in a two-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial, which aims to include 100 patient/relative pairs in each group. The primary outcome studied is symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSS-14). Secondary outcomes are scores on anxiety and depression (HADS) and the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 (SF-36). The narrative structure and content of the diary as well as its use will be explored in two qualitative studies. Discussion:The results of this study will inform ICU nurses about the effects, strengths and limitations of prompting relatives to author a diary for the patient. This will allow the diary intervention to be tailored to the individual needs of patients and relatives. Trial registration:NCT02357680. Registered September 3, 2015.

SUBMITTER: Nielsen AH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6097222 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The effect of diaries written by relatives for intensive care patients on posttraumatic stress (DRIP study): protocol for a randomized controlled trial and mixed methods study.

Nielsen Anne Højager AH Angel Sanne S Egerod Ingrid I Hansen Torben Bæk TB Hansen Torben Bæk TB

BMC nursing 20180816

<h4>Background</h4>Critically ill patients and their relatives have complex needs for support during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the post-ICU rehabilitation period. Diaries written by nurses have proven beneficial for patients and relatives, preventing post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression and helping patients and families find meaning. Actively involving relatives in writing a diary for critically ill patients is a new approach to helping relatives and patients cope; ...[more]

PMID: 30127664

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Project description:BackgroundMemory gaps in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are associated with psychiatric disorders. The ICU diaries improve the patient's factual memory of the ICU, but it is not clear if they reduce the incidence of psychiatric disorders in patients and relatives after hospital discharge. The aim of this study is to evaluate the literature on the effect of ICU diaries for patients admitted in ICU and their relatives.MethodsTwo authors independently searched the online databases PubMed, OVID, Embase, EBSCO host, and PsycINFO from inception to July 2019. Studies were included if the intervention group (ICU diary) was compared with a group with no diaries and the sample was comprised patients ≥ 18 years old admitted in the ICU for more than 24 h and their relatives. Randomized clinical trials, observational studies, letter with original data, and abstracts were included, irrespective of the language. The search was not limited by any specific outcome. Review articles, commentaries, editorials, and studies without a control group were excluded. Structured tools were used to assess the methodological quality ("Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I)" for cohort studies and the "Cochrane Risk of Bias tool" for included RCTs and before/after studies). A random-effects model was employed considering the anticipated variability between the studies.ResultsSeven hundred eighty-five titles were identified for screening. Two additional studies were selected after a reference search, and after a full-text review, a total of 12 studies were included. When pooling the results, ICU diary was associated with lower risk of depression (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23-0.75) and better quality of life (10.3 points higher in SF-36 general health score, 95% CI 0.79-19.8), without a decrease in anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For the relatives receiving an ICU diary, there was no difference in the incidence of PTSD, anxiety, or depression.Conclusion and relevanceThis systematic review and meta-analysis supports the use of ICU diaries to reduce the risk of depression and preserve the quality of life of patients after ICU admission. ICU diaries do not seem to have any beneficial effect on the relatives of the patients.Trial registrationPROSPERO, CRD42019136639.

Project description:IntroductionFollowing centralisation of UK paediatric intensive care, specialist retrieval teams were established who travel to general hospitals to stabilise and transport sick children to regional paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). There is national variation among these PICU retrieval teams (PICRTs) in terms of how quickly they reach the patient's bedside and in the care provided during transport. The impact of these variations on clinical outcomes and the experience of stakeholders (patients, families and healthcare staff) is however unknown. The primary objective of this study is to address this evidence gap.Methods and analysisThis mixed-methods project involves the following: (1) retrospective analysis of linked data from routine clinical audits (2014-2016) to assess the impact of service variations on 30-day mortality and other secondary clinical outcomes; (2) a prospective questionnaire study conducted at 24 PICUs and 9 associated PICRTs in England and Wales over a 12-month period in 2018 to collect experience data from parents of transported children as well as qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of patients, parents and staff to assess the impact of service variations on patient/family experience; (3) health economic evaluation analysing transport service costs (and other associated costs) against lives saved and longer term measurements of quality of life at 12 months in transported children and (4) mathematical modelling evaluating the costs and potential impact of different service configurations. A final work stream involves a series of stakeholder workshops to synthesise study findings and generate recommendations.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Health Research Authority, ref: 2 18 569. Study results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, print and broadcast media, the internet and stakeholder workshops.

Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic hit older adults particularly hard, especially those living in nursing homes. The present study's primary aim is to quantify the states of physical and mental health of nursing home residents and their relatives following the implementation of the exceptional confinement measures. The secondary aim is to explore the lived experiences of the stressors perceived by older adults and their relatives, as well as the support strategies implemented by health professionals and their results.Methods and analysisWe chose a mixed-methods (quantitative/qualitative) study to best deliver a profound understanding of this phenomenon.Quantitative phase: participants are asked to complete several questionnaires. The study population includes all the nursing home residents in four French-speaking cantons of Switzerland (and their relatives) who are living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics will be calculated for the scores of the General Health Questionnaire-12, Impact of Event Scale-6, Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Cope, Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and WHOQOL-OLD scales. Correlational analyses will be considered.Qualitative phase: data are collected from several sources (individual semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field notes). Interviews are planned with about 12 representatives of each group of participants (residents and relatives). Two focus groups made up of healthcare professionals will be constituted to explore the lived experiences of the stressors perceived by residents and relatives, the coping strategies those two groups implemented to deal with them. The interviews and focus groups will be subjected to a thematic contents analysis.Integrating the quantitative and qualitative data will take place jointly with data interpretation.Ethics and disseminationThis project was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Canton of Vaud on 14 December 2020 (project ID: 2020-02397). The prior written informed consent of the study subjects is collected by a member of the research team before data collection. Study results will be disseminated via professional and peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberISRCTN12345167.

Project description:Problematic substance use and addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. As a result, identifying factors that effectively promote addiction recovery is, currently, of particular societal importance. Informed by evidence that-while addiction can be perpetuated by stress-related impulsivity and decreased self-regulation-perceived social support is protective against addiction, we test a model for addiction recovery as a form of posttraumatic growth (PTG), focused specifically on close relationships and personal strength-two domains of PTG. In an initial study, we found that perceived social support and impulsivity predicted number of relapses in individuals in a substance use disorder recovery program. Using experience sampling, we then observed that experiencing a stressful event predicted impulsive behavior. However, experiencing closeness with others-a domain of PTG-was directly associated with perceived social support, and both predicted positive emotional states, which were, in turn, inversely associated with experiencing a stressful event. Further, when experiencing a stressful event, personal strength-also a domain of PTG-was inversely associated with impulsive behavior and was predicted by both perceived social support and positive emotional states. Finally, in a follow-up experiment, we found that an ecological momentary intervention targeting perceived social support decreased impulsivity and increased self-regulation-an aspect of personal strength-in a dose-dependent fashion. Taken together, our findings: (1) support a PTG model for recovery; (2) provide evidence for processes by which close supportive relationships are protective against addiction and relapse; and (3) indicate that self-regulation is responsive to a short in-the-moment perceived social support intervention. We suggest that these findings support the theory that addiction is a social disease in the sense that close personal interactions and supportive relationships: (a) buffer against stress-related impulsivity, thereby protecting against addiction and relapse; and (b) increase personal strength, thereby decreasing the probability of impulsive-including addictive-behavior and promoting recovery.

Project description:BackgroundImmersive virtual reality (VR) is a promising therapy to improve the experience of patients with critical illness and may help avoid postdischarge functional impairments. However, the determinants of interest and usability may vary locally and reports of uptake in the literature are variable.ObjectiveThe aim of this mixed methods feasibility study was to assess the acceptability and potential utility of immersive VR in critically ill patients at a single institution.MethodsAdults without delirium who were admitted to 1 of 2 intensive care units were offered the opportunity to participate in 5-15 minutes of immersive VR delivered by a VR headset. Patient vital signs, heart rate variability, mood, and pain were assessed before and after the VR experience. Pre-post comparisons were performed using paired 2-sided t tests. A semistructured interview was administered after the VR experience. Patient descriptions of the experience, issues, and potential uses were summarized with thematic analysis.ResultsOf the 35 patients offered the chance to participate, 20 (57%) agreed to partake in the immersive VR experience, with no difference in participation rate by age. Improvements were observed in overall mood (mean difference 1.8 points, 95% CI 0.6-3.0; P=.002), anxiety (difference of 1.7 points, 95% CI 0.8-2.7; P=.001), and pain (difference of 1.3 points, 95% CI 0.5-2.1; P=.003) assessed on 1-10 scales. The heart rate changed by a mean of -1.1 (95% CI -0.3 to -1.9; P=.008) beats per minute (bpm) from a baseline of 86.1 (SD 11.8) bpm and heart rate variability, assessed by the stress index (SI), changed by a mean of -5.0 (95% CI -1.5 to -8.5; P=.004) seconds-2 from a baseline SI of 40.0 (SD 23) seconds-2. Patients commented on the potential for the therapy to address pain, lessen anxiety, and facilitate calmness. Technical challenges were minimal and there were no adverse effects observed.ConclusionsPatient acceptance of immersive VR was high in a mostly medical intensive care population with little prior VR experience. Patients commented on the potential of immersive VR to ameliorate cognitive and emotional symptoms. Investigators can consider integrating minimally modified commercial VR headsets into the existing intensive care unit workflow to further assess VR's efficacy for a variety of endpoints.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Mental health service managers must take into account multiple factors when making decisions about the best way to deliver care to clients across increasingly larger service areas. This task is made more difficult by the lack of evidence and tools historically available to inform these decisions. In recent decades, the increasing availability of epidemiological and service use data for mental illness has solved the problem of evidence, but there still exists a challenge to make these data easily accessible and understandable for managers. OBJECTIVE:This study aims to develop a simulation modeling tool to allow managers to explore various service configurations in virtual reality, enabling predictions to be made about the cost and quality of care. METHODS:This is a longitudinal, mixed-methods case study, comprising overlapping intervention and evaluation phases. In partnership with senior managers of a mental health program, the researchers will develop a series of simulation models in Arena to address key strategic issues facing the service. Thematic and content analyses of semistructured interviews, meeting observations, and document analysis will be used to evaluate the process of model implementation and the outcomes for both researchers and managers. The study is being conducted in Australia. RESULTS:Data collection has been ongoing since late 2013. To date, 3 prototype simulation models have been developed and presented to senior managers, and 18 evaluation interviews have been conducted. The project is expected to conclude in late 2018. CONCLUSIONS:Findings of this study have the potential to shape decision making in mental health service delivery, by providing key examples of how to integrate patient data using simulation modeling. In addition, the results will provide key insights into how researchers and consultants can effectively implement simulation modeling in real-world health care organizations. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID):RR1-10.2196/11119.

Project description:IntroductionAn admission to paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is associated with multiple physical and environmental stressors, often involving many negative and painful oral experiences. Evidence from children with complex medical conditions suggests that feeding difficulties post-PICU stay are common, causing significant parental anxiety. Adult intensive care unit (ICU) survivor studies suggest feeding issues lasting up to 3 months post-discharge from ICU. There is, however, a paucity of evidence regarding feeding outcomes for previously healthy children following a PICU admission and whether painful oral experiences during an admission contribute to feeding difficulties post-discharge, negatively impacting on parental/caregiver anxiety.Methods and analysisThis longitudinal mixed-methods study will explore the impact of feeding difficulties, identifying any clinical risk factors during the first 6 months of PICU discharge in previously healthy young children (≤4 years). Parents/caregivers of children will be asked to complete questionnaires relating to: feeding difficulties, parental/caregiver stress, and child and parental/caregivers' feeding behaviours at the point of PICU discharge, 1, 3 and 6 months post-discharge. Parents/caregivers will be invited to participate in qualitative semistructured interviews at 3 and 6 months post-PICU discharge exploring parental/caregiver experiences of feeding their child after PICU. Statistical analysis of the survey data will consist of descriptive and inferential statistics, plus qualitative analysis of any free text comments using thematic analysis.Ethics and disseminationThis study will provide an insight and increase our understanding of the prevalence of feeding difficulties in previously healthy children admitted to PICU and parental/caregiver experiences. Multiple methods will be used to ensure that the findings are effectively disseminated to service users, clinicians, policy and academic audiences. The study has full ethical approval from the National Health Service Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 20/YH/0160) and full governance clearance.

Project description:BackgroundIn the intensive care unit (ICU) relatives play a crucial role as surrogate decision-makers, since most patients cannot communicate due to their illness and treatment. Their level of involvement in decision-making can affect their psychological well-being. During the COVID-19 pandemic, relatives' involvement probably changed. We aim to investigate relatives' involvement in decision-making in the ICU before and during the pandemic and their experiences and preferences in this regard.MethodsA mixed-methods study among relatives of ICU patients admitted to an ICU before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relatives in six ICUs completed a questionnaire (n = 329), including two items on decision-making. These were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Subsequently, relatives (n = 24) were interviewed about their experiences and preferences regarding decision-making. Thematic analysis was used for analysing the qualitative data.ResultsNearly 55% of the relatives indicated they were at least occasionally asked to be involved in important treatment decisions and of these relatives 97.1% reported to have had enough time to discuss questions and concerns when important decisions were to be made. During the first COVID-19 wave relatives were significantly less likely to be involved in decision-making compared to relatives from pre-COVID-19. The interviews showed that involvement varied from being informed about an already made decision to deliberation about the best treatment option. Preferences for involvement also varied, with some relatives preferring no involvement due to a perceived lack of expertise and others preferring an active role as the patient's advocate. Discussing a patient's quality of life was appreciated by relatives, and according to relatives healthcare professionals also found this valuable. In some cases the preferred and actual involvement was in discordance, preferring either a larger or a smaller role.ConclusionsAs treatment alignment with a patient's values and preferences and accordance between preferred and actual involvement in decision-making is very important, we suggest that the treatment decision-making process should start with discussions about a patient's quality of life, followed by tailoring the process to relatives' preferences as much as possible. Healthcare professionals should be aware of relatives' heterogeneous and possibly changing preferences regarding the decision-making process.

Project description:Operating room to intensive care unit handoffs are high-risk events for critically ill patients. Studies in selected patient populations show that standardizing operating room to intensive care unit handoffs improves information exchange and decreases errors. To adapt these findings to mixed surgical populations, we propose to study the implementation of a standardized operating room to intensive care unit handoff process in two intensive care units currently without an existing standard process.The Handoffs and Transitions in Critical Care (HATRICC) study is a hybrid effectiveness- implementation trial of operating room to intensive care unit handoffs. We will use mixed methods to conduct a needs assessment of the current handoff process, adapt published handoff processes, and implement a new standardized handoff process in two academic intensive care units. Needs assessment: We will use non-participant observation to observe the current handoff process. Focus groups, interviews, and surveys of clinicians will elicit participants' impressions about the current process. Adaptation and implementation: We will adapt published standardized handoff processes using the needs assessment findings. We will use small group simulation to test the new process' feasibility. After simulation, we will incorporate the new handoff process into the clinical work of all providers in the study units.Using the same methods employed in the needs assessment phase, we will evaluate use of the new handoff process.The primary effectiveness outcome is the number of information omissions per handoff episode as compared to the pre-intervention period. Additional intervention outcomes include patient intensive care unit length of stay and intensive care unit mortality. The primary implementation outcome is acceptability of the new process. Additional implementation outcomes include feasibility, fidelity and sustainability.The HATRICC study will examine the effectiveness and implementation of a standardized operating room to intensive care unit handoff process. Findings from this study have the potential to improve healthcare communication and outcomes for critically ill patients.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02267174. Date of registration October 16, 2014.

Dataset Information

The effect of diaries written by relatives for intensive care patients on posttraumatic stress (DRIP study): protocol for a randomized controlled trial and mixed methods study.

Publications

The effect of diaries written by relatives for intensive care patients on posttraumatic stress (DRIP study): protocol for a randomized controlled trial and mixed methods study.

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