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 and 3 others
PMID 39546958WHAT IT FOUND
ICU family caregivers using a communication tablet had a 1.5-point larger anxiety decrease at one month, but PTSD and communication difficulty did not clearly differ in this small pilot.
Key findings
01At one month after ICU discharge, anxiety symptoms decreased 1.5 points more in the VidaTalk group than attention control, with a medium effect size.
02PTSD-related symptom scores did not differ significantly between groups at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups.
03Change in family-reported communication difficulty from enrollment to ICU discharge did not differ significantly between groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study enrolled only 28 family caregivers and was not adequately powered to detect an effect size smaller than 1.1. Many participants dropped out: 24 of 28 remained at ICU discharge, 23 at 1 month, 19 at 3 months, and 14 at 6 months. Dropout was uneven because more patients in the VidaTalk group died (7) than in the attention-control group (2). The study was nested in a patient trial, so families did not receive active communication training or coaching. The intervention group received several things together: the VidaTalk app, MyChart Bedside, games, instruction, a usage tips card, and daily interventionist visits, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest. The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the VidaTalk app alone reduces family PTSD or improves communication. PTSD and communication difficulty did not differ significantly, and the anxiety finding came from a small pilot with uneven dropout. Families also received instruction, usage tips, daily interventionist visits, MyChart Bedside, and games, so no single component can be credited.