A Study of Communication Between Clinicians, Patients, and Families in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION

Total Enrollment

7818 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-01-17

Study Completion Date

2028-03-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this study is to investigate a specific approach to patient care called a time-limited trial (TLT). This approach is sometimes used for people who develop critical illness and are cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU). A time-limited trial is a plan made together by medical teams, patients with critical illness (if they can take part), and their families or other important people helping to make their healthcare decisions. A time-limited trial starts with a discussion of the patient's goals and wishes. Then, a plan is made to use ICU treatments for a set period of time to give the patient the chance to recover. After this time, the patient's response to treatment will be reviewed to help guide what to do next.

Medical teams consider this kind of plan when it is not clear if a patient can recover to a quality of life that is acceptable to them. With a time-limited trial, patients, families, and medical teams experience this uncertainty together.

The main goal of this study is to find the best way to use TLTs for patients in the ICU who have trouble breathing and need mechanical ventilation to help them breathe. The hypothesis is that optimal time-limited trial delivery will reduce the time patients with acute respiratory failure spend in the ICU and will improve the intensive care unit experiences for their families and clinicians.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Time Limited Trials to Reduce Non-Beneficial Intensive Care Unit Treatments

NCT04181294

Critical Illness Communication

COMPLETED NA

NIV Versus HFO for Acute Exacerbations of Interstitial Lung Diseases

NCT06182956

Interstitial Lung Disease Acute Respiratory Failure

NOT_YET_RECRUITING NA

Optimal Timing for Spontaneous Breathing Trials

NCT06561295

Respiration, Artificial Weaning

RECRUITING NA

Comparison Between Limited Driving Pressure Ventilation and Conventional Mechanical Ventilation Strategies in Medical Intensive Care Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure

NCT04035915

on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation ARDS Respiratory Failure

COMPLETED NA

Clinical Decision Support for Mechanical Ventilation of Patients With ARDS

NCT03984175

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

UNKNOWN NA

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This is a multi-site observational study that will investigate the time-limited trial approach to care for patients with critical illness, which is a trial of life support with milestones and a timeline to help evaluate whether the patient is improving. The primary objective of this study is to define the optimal care delivery processes of a time-limited trial for adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who develop acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. The two aims of this study are to:

Aim 1: Map the current processes of time-limited trial care delivery for patients with acute respiratory failure.

Aim 2: Elucidate the relationships between time-limited trials, their care delivery processes, and end-of-life outcomes for patients, surrogates, and ICU teams.

For Aim 1, a focused ethnography of approximately 50 time-limited trials will be done to characterize how trials are currently being done in the intensive care unit. This will include direct observation of ICU care provided to patients and real-time interviews with their surrogates and the ICU team members providing their care. Qualitative analyses will be used to characterize TLT activities and team member roles. This data will support the construction of a systems engineering process map, which is a visual tool that diagrams the sequence of process steps and serves as a time-limited trial process measure.

For Aim 2, a prospective cohort of 5,810 patients with acute respiratory failure will be followed to evaluate relationships between time-limited trial exposure and ICU outcomes through a chart review and electronic health record (EHR) data abstraction. The extent to which trial care processes influence surrogate and ICU team member outcomes will be investigated by conducting surveys. Additionally, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with surrogates and ICU team members to investigate how time-limited trial processes work.

The hypothesis is that optimal time-limited trial delivery will reduce intensive care unit length of stay for patients with acute respiratory failure and improve the intensive care unit experiences for their families and clinicians.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Acute Respiratory Failure Mechanical Ventilation Life-Supporting Treatments Communication Decision Making Critical Care Palliative Care

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Participants

Participants will be selected from patients who are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, or Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

No interventions assigned to this group

Surrogates

Surrogate participants will be the primary surrogate/s for an eligible patient.

No interventions assigned to this group

ICU Team Members

ICU Team Member participants will be members of the hospital staff providing care for an eligible patient.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

Participants

* Adult (age ≥ 18 years)
* Acute respiratory failure:

* Hypoxemic (low level of oxygen in the blood) or
* Hypercapnic (high level of carbon dioxide in the blood)
* Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (patient needs a breathing machine to help them breathe)

Surrogates

* The main person/s (primary surrogate/s, also known as legally authorized representative/s) who are making medical decisions on behalf of an eligible patient

* Will be identified by the treating ICU team according to established legal and ethical standards

ICU Team Members

* A member of the interprofessional hospital staff that is caring for an eligible patient

* Team members may include advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners/ physicians assistants), case managers, chaplains, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, physicians (attending/fellow/resident), respiratory therapists, and social workers.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants

* Participant or their legally authorized representative declines participation or opts-out of data collection

Surrogates

* Cannot complete surveys and interviews in English or Spanish
* Declines participation

ICU Team Members

* Opts out of study participation

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes