The Effect of Family Voice Interventions on Delirium Incidence and Duration in Adult ICU Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Ella Peschel, Marion Diegelmann, Roland Eßl-Maurer and 8 others
PMID 41981773WHAT IT FOUND
Family voice messages were associated with fewer delirium cases and shorter delirium by 0.90 days.
Nurses can consider involving trusted family voices, but dose is unclear and some voices may distress.
Key findings
01Family voice interventions reduced delirium odds in pooled trials (OR 0.39, CI 0.26 to 0.58, p < 0.001), and the effect remained in single-intervention trials (OR 0.41, CI 0.27 to 0.63, p < 0.0001).
02Delirium duration was shorter by 0.90 days on average with family voice interventions (CI -1.28 to -0.53 days).
03The certainty of evidence for the primary outcomes was rated moderate.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included few trials, limiting subgroup analyses. Some included trials had high risk of bias, especially around blinding and allocation. Interventions varied in live versus recorded voice, content, timing, and dose. Some trials used bundled care, so the contribution of family voice alone cannot be separated. Adverse events related to family voices were not reported in the included trials. Secondary outcomes were inconsistently reported, and some analyses had substantial heterogeneity.
Declared interests
The authors reported nothing to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that family voice interventions are proven safe or ready for a fixed protocol. The review included few trials, some had high risk of bias, optimal timing and dose are unclear, and adverse effects of distressing family voices were not reported.