FICUS trial: first results published in JAMA Internal Medicine
The FICUS trial (Family Support Intervention in Intensive Care Units) uses a cluster-randomized trial to test the effectiveness of a nurse-led, interprofessional family support intervention in ICUs on quality of family care, family management, and individual mental health. First results have now been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Families of patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) face high burden and distress, which often leads to adverse mental health outcomes for individual family members. Family-focused care and support are needed and recommended, but high-quality experimental research is lacking.
The FICUS trial, a multicentre, cluster-randomized clinical trial conducted in 16 adult ICUs across 12 Swiss hospitals, tested whether a nurse-led, interprofessional multicomponent family support intervention, in comparison to usual care, improves:
- Family satisfaction with ICU care
- Quality of clinician-family communication
- Cognitive and emotional support
A total of 885 family members of critically ill patients were enrolled.
The intervention introduces a novel family nurse role into the ICU team. The family nurse engages and liaises with families, offers relationship-focused, psychoeducational support, and ensures interprofessional communication throughout the ICU trajectory and into the post-ICU time.
Results show a small improvement in overall family satisfaction with ICU care, clearly improved satisfaction with involvement in decision-making, and strongly enhanced quality of communication and nurse support for families.
Read the full article here.
The results on the impact of the family support intervention on family functioning and family member mental health over the first year after this critical event will follow in due time.
The FICUS study, which was only possible thanks to the participants and health professionals, is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and supported by the Swiss Society of Intensive Medicine.
Authors: Rahel Naef, PhD, RN; Marie-Madlen Jeitziner, PhD, RN; Marco Riguzzi, PhD; Stefanie von Felten, PhD; Lotte Verweij, PhD, RN; Michael Rufer, MD; Judith Safford, PhD; Simone Sutter, BA; Bettina Bergmann-Kipfer, RN; Ursula Betschart, RN; Sabina Boltshauser, RN; Nadine Brülisauer, BScN, RN; Christoph Brunner, MScN, RN; Philipp Karl Bühler, MD; Hanna Burkhalter, PhD, RN; Alexander Dullenkopf, MD; Antje Heise, MD; Benjamin Hertler, MD; Johanna Elisabeth Hoffmann, MSc, RN; Carmen Karde, MScN, RN; Yvonne Keller, MScN, RN; Susanne Kohler, MScN, RN; Fabienne Lussmann, BScN, RN; Paola Massarotto, MScN, RN; Michaela Moser, MScN, RN; Urs Pietsch, MD; Diana Livia Segalada, MD; Esther Siegrist, MScN, RN; Peter Steiger, MD; Naira Ruch, BSc; Christoph von Dach, DNP, RN; Monique Seraina Wenzler, RN; Jan Wiegand, MD; Bjoern Zante, MD; Miodrag Filipovic, MD
Sixteen ICUs are involved: University Hospital Zurich, Inselspital Bern, Lindenhofspital Bern, Cantonal Hospital Graubünden, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Cantonal Hospital Baden, Cantonal Hospital Frauenfeld, Cantonal Hospital Olten, Cantonal Hospital Winterthur, Hospital Thun, Hirslanden Clinic Zurich, and the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen