Grant: Patient-Oriented Research Collaboration Grants

This project aims to test whether family engagement and support during intensive care unit (ICU) admission will decrease the long term distress associated with having a loved person become critically ill, and improve their ability to work and reduce their need for social support and medical help. Currently, over 50% of family members of critically ill patients develop significant anxiety, depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This adds to their burden following discharge, since they provide most of the considerable carer needs required by surviving ICU patients. For non-survivors, the prevalence of PTSD and depressive symptoms in families at six months is up to three times higher than the general population when bereaved. We aim to help families cope (regardless of survival) by using a communication tool created by an ICU family, and an intervention developed by patient/nursing/family stakeholders and that families considered valuable and useful in one American intensive care unit. The intervention consists of: 1) information, 2) family kits and 3) identifying unmet needs/misunderstandings. We will create the tool/toolkits, and implement their use in five patient/family dyads in three intensive care units in Canada. The communication tool is a simple imaginative hand-held device enabling patients to express feelings and states. The kit has information explaining how carers can engage in care, and practical items to use with the patient, and while waiting during ICU visits. The intervention will be used in 3 intensive care units. Family members from 6 units (3 non-users) will be asked to complete mental health, general and need for support questionnaires six months after their relative's admission. We will then go on to conduct a larger study recruiting 400 family members in Canada and the UK to test whether this intervention can better support caregivers and family members, and reduce their distress, mental health and economic burden.