Preliminary efficacy of the vidatalkTM communication application on family psychological symptoms in the intensive care unit: A pilot study

Ji Won Shin; Alai Tan; Judith Tate; Michele Balas; Holly Dabelko-Schoeny; Mary Beth Happ

doi:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.11.001

Preliminary efficacy of the vidatalk^TM communication application on family psychological symptoms in the intensive care unit: A pilot study

Heart Lung. 2024 Nov 14:70:14-22. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.11.001. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ji Won Shin¹, Alai Tan², Judith Tate³, Michele Balas⁴, Holly Dabelko-Schoeny⁵, Mary Beth Happ⁶

Affiliations

¹ The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH, , 43210, USA. Electronic address: shin.527@osu.edu.
² The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH, , 43210, USA. Electronic address: tan.739@osu.edu.
³ The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH, , 43210, USA. Electronic address: tate.230@osu.edu.
⁴ University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Nursing - Omaha Division, 42nd and Emile, Omaha, NE 68198, USA. Electronic address: mibalas@unmc.edu.
⁵ The Ohio State University College of Social Work, 1947 N. College Road Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Electronic address: dabelko-schoeny.1@osu.edu.
⁶ The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH, , 43210, USA. Electronic address: happ.3@osu.edu.

PMID: 39546958
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.11.001

Abstract

Background: 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.

Objectives: To examine the preliminary effects of the VidaTalk™ communication app on anxiety, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms among family caregivers.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: The VidaTalk™ demonstrated potential as a family caregiving intervention that may be associated with reduced family psychological symptoms.

Keywords: Augmentative alternative communication; Family caregivers, Family-centered nursing; Family engagement; Family-patient communication; Intensive care.