Shin Ji Won, Tan Alai, Tate Judith, Balas Michele, Dabelko-Schoeny Holly, Happ Mary Beth
The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH, , 43210, USA.
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Nursing - Omaha Division, 42nd and Emile, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
Heart Lung. 2025 Mar-Apr;70:14-22. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.11.001. Epub 2024 Nov 14.
Family caregivers of ICU patients experience difficulty communicating with patients during mechanical ventilation. Little is known about patient-family communication in the ICU and the associated emotional distress.
To examine the preliminary effects of the VidaTalk™ communication app on anxiety, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms among family caregivers.
We conducted a prospective study using repeated measures to compare VidaTalk™ to an attention control condition. Twenty-eight family caregivers of nonvocal adult ICU patients participated in this study. The intervention group received VidaTalk™, whereas the attention control group received a standard tablet loaded with MyChart Bedside (EPIC) and game apps during the patient's mechanical ventilation treatment. Family caregiver anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were measured at baseline, at extubation/ICU discharge, and 1-, 3-, and 6-months post-ICU discharge. PTSD-related symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-revised) were measured at 1-, 3-, and 6-months. T-tests were used for group comparisons for families' perceived communication difficulty, anxiety, and depression, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for PTSD-related symptom comparisons.
No statistically significant difference was found between groups in changes in family psychological outcomes, the VidaTalk™ was associated with a small to medium improvement in anxiety symptoms (d = 0.43) at one month. The VidaTalk™ group had lower PTSD-related symptoms than the AC group with a medium effect size (ɳ2=0.07) at one month and a medium-to-large effect size (ɳ2=0.09) at three months.
The VidaTalk™ demonstrated potential as a family caregiving intervention that may be associated with reduced family psychological symptoms.
重症监护病房（ICU）患者的家庭护理人员在患者机械通气期间与患者沟通存在困难。关于ICU中患者与家属的沟通以及相关的情绪困扰，人们了解甚少。
研究VidaTalk™ 沟通应用程序对家庭护理人员焦虑、抑郁和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）相关症状的初步影响。
我们进行了一项前瞻性研究，采用重复测量方法将VidaTalk™ 与注意力控制组进行比较。28名成年非发声ICU患者的家庭护理人员参与了本研究。干预组使用VidaTalk™，而注意力控制组在患者机械通气治疗期间收到装有MyChart Bedside（EPIC）和游戏应用程序的标准平板电脑。在基线、拔管/ICU出院时以及ICU出院后1个月、3个月和6个月测量家庭护理人员的焦虑和抑郁（医院焦虑抑郁量表）。在1个月、3个月和6个月时测量PTSD相关症状（事件影响量表修订版）。使用t检验对家庭感知的沟通困难、焦虑和抑郁进行组间比较，使用曼-惠特尼U检验对PTSD相关症状进行比较。
两组家庭心理结果变化无统计学显著差异，VidaTalk™ 在1个月时与焦虑症状的小到中等改善相关（d = 0.43）。VidaTalk™ 组在1个月时的PTSD相关症状低于注意力控制组，效应量中等（ɳ2 = 0.07），在3个月时效应量为中到大（ɳ2 = 0.09）。
VidaTalk™ 显示出作为一种家庭护理干预措施的潜力，可能与减轻家庭心理症状有关。
