Written communication and the ICU team experience (WRITE): A pre-post intervention study.

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Healthcare Communication
• Provider Experience

Background:

• Families of critically ill patients often benefit from regular, clear communication regarding patient care.
• Existing communication methods may not consistently meet the needs of families or care providers in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a system for care providers to create daily written patient care updates for families.
• To evaluate the impact of this system on the care provider experience, including collaboration and burnout.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study was conducted over 6 months (3 months pre-intervention, 3 months intervention) at an urban academic medical center.
• Experiences of ICU care providers (nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians) were measured using the Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale (NPCS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).
• During the intervention, daily written updates were provided to families and posted in the electronic medical record, with investigator assistance.

Main Results:

• Written communication was provided for 152 patients during the intervention period.
• Significantly lower NPCS scores (indicating greater collaboration) were observed during the intervention compared to the pre-intervention period (p=0.002).
• Maslach Burnout Inventory scores remained similar between periods; qualitative interviews indicated the process was acceptable and beneficial.

Conclusions:

• Supplementing verbal communication with daily written updates improves collaboration among ICU care providers.
• The implemented system was acceptable to care providers and enhanced their experience without increasing burnout.
• Refinements to streamline the creation process could further enhance the benefits of written communication for families and providers.