Efficacy of information interventions in reducing transfer anxiety from a critical care setting to a general ward: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Knowledge, attitude and practice of registered nurses toward ICU patients' transfer anxiety in China: A cross-sectional study

Introduction

Transfer anxiety has effect many critically ill patients in ICU around the world. Nurses must take care of the psychological adjustments that patients and families face when ICU patients transferred to general ward. During this period, basic knowledge, positive attitude, and correct practice are necessary for nurses to address the issue of transfer anxiety and seek to reduce it whenever possible. However, there were few investigations have been performed the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of registered nurses toward ICU patients' transfer anxiety.

Aim

The purpose of the paper is to explore the level and influencing factors of knowledge, attitude and practice of registered nurses toward ICU patients' transfer anxiety in China.

Methods

From February 1 to March 17, 2023, a cross-sectional study was adopted in China. An electronic questionnaire was used to collect data. Registered nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practice toward ICU patients' transfer anxiety were assessed using The Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Questionnaire for Chinese Registered nurses in ICU regarding the prevention of transfer anxiety. In the end, in this study involved 381 registered nurses from Lanzhou University Second Hospitals in China. SPSS 26.0 for mac, independent T-test, one-way ANOVA test, Scheffe's test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression tests were used for data analysis.

Results

The scores of total KAP, knowledge, attitude, and practice are 135.21 ± 24.504, 45.58 ± 13.903, 56.94 ± 10.690 and 32.87 ± 6.393 separately. Study results show that there was a statistically significant correlation among the three variables. According to the results of independent t-test or one-way ANOVA test, there is a correlation between gender(P = 0.001), highest educational attainment (P = 0.005) and knowledge; type of department(P = 0.003) and attitude; gender (P = 0.003), marital status (P = 0.002), clinical work experience (P = 0.002), type of department (P = 0.005) and practice. According to the results of linear regression analysis in this study, the variables of gender (P = 0.006), highest educational attainment (P = 0.032), scores of attitudes (P = 0.006), and scores of practice (P = 0.000) were associated with the scores of knowledge; the variables of scores of knowledge (P = 0.004), and scores of practice (P = 0.000) were associated with the scores of attitudes; the variables of scores of knowledge (P = 0.000), and scores of attitudes (P = 0.000) were associated with the scores of practice.

Conclusion

The findings of the study emphasize that comprehensive measures of knowledge, attitude and practice should be taken to improve nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding transfer anxiety in intensive care unit patients in order to reduce its adverse effects on ICU patients.

Care intervention on psychological outcomes among patients admitted to intensive care unit: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have explored care interventions to improve the psychological outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but inconclusive evidence makes it difficult for decision-makers, managers, and clinicians to get familiar with all available literature and find appropriate interventions. This umbrella review aimed to analyze the relationship between care intervention and psychological outcomes of ICU patients based on existing systematic reviews.

METHODS

An umbrella review of evidence across systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 1987 and 2023 was undertaken. We systematically searched reviews that examined the association between care intervention and the improvement of adverse psychological outcomes in ICU patients using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and manual reference screening. The measurement tool (AMSTAR 2) was applied to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. The excess significance bias, between-study heterogeneity expressed by I2, small-study effect, and evidence class were estimated.

RESULTS

A total of 5110 articles were initially identified from the search databases and nine of them were included in the analysis. By applying standardized criteria, only weak evidence was observed in 13 associations, even though most included reviews were of moderate to high methodological quality. These associations pertained to eight interventions (music therapy, early rehabilitation, post-ICU follow-up, ICU diary, information intervention, preoperative education, communication and psychological support, surrogate decision-making) and five psychological outcomes (post-intensive care syndrome, transfer anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression). Weak or null association was shown among the rest of the associations (e.g., weak association between music therapy and maternal anxiety or stress level).

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence of these eight supporting interventions to improve the adverse psychological outcomes of ICU patients and caregivers was weak. Data from more and better-designed studies with larger sample sizes are needed to establish robust evidence.

Patient transfer from intensive care units to general wards: An exploratory qualitative study of ward nurses' experiences of patient safety

AIM

Patient transfer from intensive care units (ICUs) to general wards is a routine part of hospital care. However, if the transfer is not optimal, it can result in increased readmissions to the ICU, increased stress and discomfort for the patient and, thus, a threat to patient safety. The aim of this study was to explore how general ward nurses experience patient safety during patient transfers from ICUs to general wards.

DESIGN

A qualitative design based on a phenomenological approach was used.

METHODS

Two focus group interviews were conducted with a total of eight nurses from a medical ward and a surgical ward at one hospital in Norway. The data were analysed using systematic text condensation.

RESULTS

The nurses' experiences of patient safety during patient transfer had four themes: (1) the importance of preparedness; (2) the importance of the handover of information; (3) stress and a lack of resources and (4) a feeling of two different worlds.

CONCLUSION

In order to promote patient safety, the informants highlighted the importance of being well prepared for transfer, and to have optimal handover of information. Stress, lack of resources and a feeling of two different worlds may pose threats to patient safety.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

We suggest several intervention studies testing the effect of intervention improving patient safety during the transfer process are designed, and that increased knowledge in this area is used to develop local practice recommendations.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The participants of this study were nurses and this contribution has been explained in the Data collection section. There was no patient contribution in this study.

A Multiple Baseline Trial of an Electronic ICU Discharge Summary Tool for Improving Quality of Care

OBJECTIVE

Effective communication between clinicians is essential for seamless discharge of patients between care settings. Yet, discharge summaries are commonly not available and incomplete. We implemented and evaluated a structured electronic health record-embedded electronic discharge (eDischarge) summary tool for patients discharged from the ICU to a hospital ward.

DESIGN

Multiple baseline trial with randomized and staggered implementation.

SETTING

Adult medical-surgical ICUs at four acute care hospitals serving a single Canadian city.

PATIENTS

Health records of patients 18 years old or older, in the ICU 24 hours or longer, and discharged from the ICU to an in-hospital patient ward between February 12, 2018, and June 30, 2019.

INTERVENTION

A structured electronic note (ICU eDischarge tool) with predefined fields (e.g., diagnosis) embedded in the hospital-wide electronic health information system.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

We compared the percent of timely (available at discharge) and complete (included goals of care designation, diagnosis, list of active issues, active medications) discharge summaries pre and post implementation using mixed effects logistic regression models. After implementing the ICU eDischarge tool, there was an immediate and sustained increase in the proportion of patients discharged from ICU with timely and complete discharge summaries from 10.8% (preimplementation period) to 71.1% (postimplementation period) (adjusted odds ratio, 32.43; 95% CI, 18.22-57.73). No significant changes were observed in rapid response activation, cardiopulmonary arrest, death in hospital, ICU readmission, and hospital length of stay following ICU discharge. Preventable (60.1 vs 5.7 per 1,000 d; p = 0.023), but not nonpreventable (27.3 vs 40.2 per 1,000d; p = 0.54), adverse events decreased post implementation. Clinicians perceived the eDischarge tool to produce a higher quality discharge process.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of an electronic tool was associated with more timely and complete discharge summaries for patients discharged from the ICU to a hospital ward.

The role of the ICU liaison nurse services on anxiety in family caregivers of patients after ICU discharge during COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial

Background

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing and changes in wards' structure, families no longer access the routine support they received during the hospitalization of their patients in the ICU. This study aimed to determine the effects of ICU liaison nurse services on the anxiety in patients’ family caregivers after ICU discharge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial was performed in western Iran from February 2020, to March 2021. Sixty subjects were selected from the family caregivers of the patients transferred from the ICU and were randomly assigned to the control (n = 30) and the intervention groups (n = 30). The control group received routine transfer care. In the intervention group, liaison nurse services were offered in 4 dimensions: patient support, family support, training, support of the ward’s staff, and the evaluation of the destination ward. The participants’ anxiety was measured using the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory immediately after the patient transfer and 6 h after admission to the general ward. Data analyzed with SPSS V16, descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square test, Mann–Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, and Generalized Linear Model with cumulative logit link function. Results were reported at a 0.05 significance level.

Results

A statistically significant difference was observed in baseline anxiety levels (P = 0.035) and age group (P < 0.001) between the intervention and control groups. After moderating baseline anxiety levels, the age group, and marital status, the impact of the intervention was significant (X² = 10.273, df = 1, P < 0.001), meaning that the intervention could reduce the relative chances of developing higher levels of anxiety by 92.1% (OR: 0.08, 95%CI: 0.017–0.373, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study confirmed the positive impact of nursing services on reducing anxiety in family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended to use these services, especially during the COVID-19 condition, to facilitate the patient transfer, support the patient's family, and reduce the health care gap between the ICU and the ward.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-01034-6.

Parental experience of transition from a pediatric intensive care unit to a general ward: A Qualitative Study

AIM

To explore parental experience in transitioning from a pediatric intensive care unit to a general ward and to investigate parental involvement in caring for their critical illness children.

BACKGROUND

Parents have a major responsibility in caring for seriously ill children, but nursing staff fail to meet the expectations of parents regarding nursing care. Few studies have investigated the challenges and needs of Chinese parents during the transition from pediatric intensive care unit to general ward.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 parents of children with critical illness in a pediatric hospital in Shanghai, mainland China to explore their views. Transcripts were entered into NVivo. Framework analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified by data analysis: changes in the child during post pediatric intensive care unit periods; experiencing a wide range of emotions; factors involved in the transition; and suggestions for improving transitional care.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the unmet needs of parents, a more flexible visiting policy and social media support were highly desirable. Getting accurate information, establishing family integrated care, and strengthening ward-based critical support services were also listed as important needs of parents caring for critically ill children.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

A profound understanding of parental experiences during the transitional period can help nursing staff to assess the effects on children and their families, improve ward-based intensive care, support parental participation, and improve visitation policies. Based on these findings, nurse managers can develop reasonable intervention programs in order to improve nursing quality and patient outcomes.

Transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards in South Korea: a hybrid concept analysis

Purpose

This study aimed to analyze the concept of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards.

Methods

The hybrid model by Schwarz-Barcott and Kim was used to analyze the characteristics of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards.

Results

Transfer anxiety was defined by the following attributes: 1) stress concerning the adaptation process, 2) concern about the child’s condition worsening due to the parent’s caregiving, and 3) involuntary changes in daily life due to the treatment. Transfer anxiety has the following antecedents: 1) uncertainty; 2) a lack of knowledge about the illness, medical devices, and caregiving; and 3) a lack of social support. It resulted in 1) caregiver burden, 2) a decrease in the capacity for coping with caregiving, 3) delays in the child’s physical and psychological recovery, and 4) decreased quality of life.

Conclusion

It is necessary to develop an assessment scale that considers the attributes of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards. Furthermore, an effective nursing intervention should be developed to reduce transfer anxiety.

Intervenciones de Enfermería ante la Necesidad de Información de la Familia del Paciente Crítico

Introducción: Durante el ingreso y permanencia del paciente en la unidad de cuidado intensivo, es imperativo considerar la satisfacción de las necesidades comunicacionales e informativas de la familia del paciente. Objetivo: Integrar los resultados de investigación sobre las intervenciones llevadas a cabo para satisfacer la necesidad de información de las familias de los pacientes en la unidad de cuidado intensivo. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó una revisión integrativa de estudios en bases de datos Sciencedirect, PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual en Salud y Scielo, con la estrategia de búsqueda [Critical care] and [Needs assessment] and [Family] con criterios de inclusión de estudios publicados entre el año 2009 y el 2019 en idioma inglés, español y portugués disponibles en texto completo Resultados: Después de la lectura analítica de 41 estudios seleccionados se organizaron en 5 temas; uso de folletos de información, sesiones educativas, llamadas telefónicas, uso de tecnologías de la información y comunicación y reuniones familiares. Conclusión: Las intervenciones de enfermería que se han utilizado en la satisfacción de la necesidad de información de la familia son muy variadas e incluyen entre otras los folletos o el uso de TICs, sin embargo la intervención que responde en mayor medida a esta necesidad son las reuniones formales con la familia. Las intervenciones reportadas en los resultados de investigación para responder a la necesidad de información son herramientas clave para que el personal de enfermería las utilice según los recursos con los cuales dispone en su entorno laboral como salas de información para la familia. Como citar este artículo: Guáqueta Parada Sandra Rocio, Henao Castaño Ángela María, Motta Robayo Claudia Lorena, Triana Restrepo Martha Cecilia, Burgos Herrera Juan David, Neira Fernández Karen Daniela, Peña Almanza Berni Alonso. Intervenciones de Enfermería ante la Necesidad de Información de la Familia del Paciente Crítico. Revista Cuidarte. 2021;12(2):e1775. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.1775    

Effectiveness of an Electronic Communication Tool on Transitions in Care From the Intensive Care Unit: Protocol for a Cluster-Specific Pre-Post Trial

BACKGROUND

Transitions in care are vulnerable periods in health care that can expose patients to preventable errors due to incomplete or delayed communication between health care providers. Transitioning critically ill patients from intensive care units (ICUs) to other patient care units (PCUs) is particularly risky, due to the high acuity of the patients and the diversity of health care providers involved in their care. Instituting structured documentation to standardize written communication between health care providers during transitions has been identified as a promising means to reduce communication breakdowns. We developed an evidence-informed, computer-enabled, ICU-specific structured tool-an electronic transfer (e-transfer) tool-to facilitate and standardize the composition of written transfer summaries in the ICUs of one Canadian city. The tool consisted of 10 primary sections with a user interface combination of structured, automated, and free-text fields.

OBJECTIVE

Our overarching goal is to evaluate whether implementation of our e-transfer tool will improve the completeness and timeliness of transfer summaries and streamline communications between health care providers during high-risk transitions.

METHODS

This study is a cluster-specific pre-post trial, with randomized and staggered implementation of the e-transfer tool in four hospitals in Calgary, Alberta. Hospitals (ie, clusters) were allocated randomly to cross over every 2 months from control (ie, dictation only) to intervention (ie, e-transfer tool). Implementation at each site was facilitated with user education, point-of-care support, and audit and feedback. We will compare transfer summaries randomly sampled over 6 months postimplementation to summaries randomly sampled over 6 months preimplementation. The primary outcome will be a binary composite measure of the timeliness and completeness of transfer summaries. Secondary measures will include overall completeness, timeliness, and provider ratings of transfer summaries; hospital and ICU lengths of stay; and post-ICU patient outcomes, including ICU readmission, adverse events, cardiac arrest, rapid response team activation, and mortality. We will use descriptive statistics (ie, medians and means) to describe demographic characteristics. The primary outcome will be compared within each hospital pre- and postimplementation using separate logistic regression models for each hospital, with adjustment for patient characteristics.

RESULTS

Participating hospitals were cluster randomized to the intervention between July 2018 and January 2019. Preliminary extraction of ICU patient admission lists was completed in September 2019. We anticipate that evaluation data collection will be completed by early 2021, with first results ready for publication in spring or summer 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will report the impact of implementing an evidence-informed, computer-enabled, ICU-specific structured transfer tool on communication and preventable medical errors among patients transferred from the ICU to other hospital care units.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03590002; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03590002.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/18675.

Role of Transitional Care Measures in the Prevention of Readmission After Critical Illness

Transitioning from the critical care unit to the medical-surgical care area is vital to patients' recovery and resolution of critical illness. Such transitions are necessary to optimize use of available hospital resources to meet patient care needs. One in 10 patients discharged from the intensive care unit are readmitted to the unit during their hospitalization. Critical care readmission is associated with significant increases in illness acuity, overall length of stay, and health care costs as well as a potential 4-fold increased risk of mortality. Patients with complex illness, multiple comorbid conditions, and a prolonged initial stay in the critical care unit are at an increased risk of being readmitted to the critical care unit and experiencing poor outcomes. Implementing nurse-driven measures that support continuity of care and consistent communication practices such as critical care outreach services, transitional communication tools, discharge planning, and transitional care units improves transitions of patients from the critical care environment and reduces readmission rates.

The effect of provision of information on serum cortisol in patients transferred from the coronary care unit to the general ward: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Patients' transfer from coronary care units to general wards is a main source of anxiety for patients. Transfer anxiety is due to either lack of patients' knowledge or inadequacy of transfer-related information to patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of provision of information on the serum cortisol level, as an indicator of anxiety, in patients transferred from the coronary care unit to the general ward.

METHODS

This pretest-posttest randomised clinical trial was conducted on fifty patients transferred from coronary care units to general wards. Patients were selected using a purposeful sampling method and randomly were allocated to control and intervention groups. After taking blood samples for a baseline cortisol measurement, the patients in the control group received routine verbal transfer-related information. The patients in the intervention group were provided with an educational pamphlet consisting of textual and visual data about patients' transfer, continuity of care and the target general ward. The second and the third blood samples were taken for a cortisol measurement half an hour after informing the patients about the transfer order and half an hour after entrance to the general ward, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software v. 21 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were reported between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics (p > 0.05). The serum levels of cortisol in the intervention group decreased from 40.16 (microgram per decilitre) at the baseline to 36.52 and 34.34 at the second and the third measurement time points, respectively. Conversely, the serum levels of cortisol in the control group increased from 37.48 at the baseline to 40.52 and 41.52 at the second- and the third-time points, respectively. While no statistically significant difference was reported between the groups in the baseline serum level of cortisol, between-group differences were statistically significant at the second- and the third-time points (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Provision of transfer-related information can reduce transfer anxiety among patients, that should be transferred from coronary care units to general wards.

Effects of frequent PATient moves on patient outcomes in a large tertiary Hospital (the PATH study): a prospective cohort study

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of and patient outcomes associated with frequent patient moves. Methods In a prospective cohort study, any bed move and the reason for the move were documented. Patients were assessed on admission for anxiety, social support and delirium. Adverse events, length of stay and satisfaction were recorded. Patients moved three or more times were compared with those moved less than three times. Results In all, 566 patients admitted to a tertiary referral hospital were included in the study. Of these, 156 patients (27.6%) were moved once, 46 (8.1%) were moved twice and 28 (4.9%) were moved at least three times. Those moved three or more times were almost threefold more likely to have an adverse event recorded compared with those moved fewer times (relative risk (RR) 2.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18, 6.42; P=0.02) and to have a hospital stay twice as long (RR 7.10; 95% CI 2.60, 11.60; P=0.002). Levels of satisfaction and anxiety were not affected by frequent moves and there was no effect on delirium. Conclusion Frequent bed moves affect patient safety and prolong length of stay. What is known about the topic? Retrospective and qualitative studies suggest that patient safety and costs may be affected by frequent patient moves. What does this paper add? The present study is the first prospective study to assess the negative effects of frequent patient moves on specific patient outcomes, such as adverse events, length of stay and satisfaction with care. What are the implications for practitioners? Within- and between-ward moves may affect patient safety. Patients should be moved only when there is a clear and unavoidable reason for doing so.

Parents' experience of the transition with their child from a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to the hospital ward: searching for comfort across transitions

Parents of children in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) have many needs and stressors, but research has yet to examine their experience of their child's transfer from PICU to the hospital ward. Ten parents were interviewed following transfer from PICU to a hospital ward at a children's hospital in Canada. Parents' experience involved a search for comfort through transitions. The themes were: 'being a parent with a critically ill child is exhausting', 'being kept in the know', 'feeling supported by others', and 'being transferred'. Findings from this study can help nurses and health professionals working with parents during transitions.

Finding new bearings: a qualitative study on the transition from inpatient to ambulatory care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia

PURPOSE

Treatment of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is intensive, with induction treatment initiated in an inpatient setting and subsequent consolidation therapy often conducted in an outpatient setting. The purpose of the present qualitative paper is to provide insight into the experience of patients in the transition from inpatient to ambulatory care.

METHODS

Participants were 35 AML patients who were interviewed about their experience of the illness and treatment. Utilizing the grounded theory method, we describe the adjustment of participants to the transition to ambulatory care.

RESULTS

As outpatients, participants described adjusting to the intensity of ambulatory treatment and to the need to assume greater responsibility for their care. They also expressed a growing desire to understand their long-term care plan, compared to their preference to focus on the present prior to discharge, and they were struggling to construct a new sense of identity.

CONCLUSIONS

AML patients are now leaving acute care settings sicker and earlier. Considering their perceptions can inform interventions to facilitate adjustment during the transition to outpatient care.