Communication between intensive care unit doctors and general practitioners: A sequential multiphase project to...

General practitioners (GPs) serve a pivotal role in the healthcare system and typically have substantial insights into their patients' health. However, communication between intensive care unit (ICU) medical staff and GPs is infrequent.

To explore communication between ICU medical staff and GPs, and codesign a strategy to increase communication.

A sequential multiphase project comprising (i) a survey; (ii) development of a protocol to promote communication; and (iii) quantification of the effect of introducing the protocol. Participants were ICU medical staff from a single-hospital and GPs from 12 clinics. Outcomes were survey responses and ICU documentation of communication with a GP before (July-September 2023) and after (July-September 2024) the introduction of a communication protocol.

Fifty-one ICU doctors and 47 GPs provided survey responses. Communication was reported to "rarely" or "never" occur by 30 (64%) GPs and 29 (57%) of ICU respondents. All but one respondent (1 GP) considered ICU-GP communication to be helpful. Most (100% ICU doctors, 85% GPs) preferred to communicate by telephone, and approximately half (53% ICU doctors, 57% GPs) thought this should occur only if ICU staff needed information rather than for all ICU admissions. A communication protocol was developed, encouraging ICU doctors to have a telephone call with the GP of patients with unplanned or ≥48-h ICU admissions. ICU doctors contacted GPs for 1.5% of admissions (12/784) before and 2.1% of admissions (17/801) after introduction of a communication protocol (P = 0.45).

ICU medical staff members and GPs value communication about their patients who are critically ill. A strategy to increase prevalence of ICU medical staff calling GPs was not effective, and further research is required to improve this.