Family Preparation Study For Withdrawal of Mechanical Ventilation From Their Family Member

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Using the self-regulation theory, an intervention to prepare families for that experience was developed. This study will assess the impact of the intervention on a family's evaluation of their preparation and their short-term coping. The site used for this study will be the Trauma and Life Support Center (TLC), University of Wisconsin (UW) Hospital. After a decision has been made to withdraw life support, a member of the TLC staff will approach the next of kin of the patient to inform him/her about the study and inquire about his/her interest to participate. Using an experimental design, 10 family members will be assigned to the control group and 10 to the intervention group. Upon agreement, a research nurse will use a coin toss method for group assignment of the subjects until there are ten in each group. Experimental group subjects will receive the intervention after the family meeting. Demographics of the next of kin will be collected at this time. Patient information such as demographics, diagnosis, and time of withdrawal and death will be collected too. Two to four weeks after death, a telephone interview will be conducted with the next of kin using the Evaluation of the Experience of Withdrawal questionnaire and the Profile of Mood State - shortened version. Potential benefits are that the families will be prepared for the experience of the dying patient, which will help them cope better during withdrawal and after their loss. There are no major risks to the subjects but there might be an increase in psychological distress.

Official Title
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Evaluating the Usefulness of Preparing Families For Withdrawal of Mechanical Ventilation From Their Family Member: A Pilot Study

Conditions
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Mechanical Ventilation, Critically Ill

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: family preparation for withdrawing life support


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Next of kin of a patient who will have withdrawal of life support Participant must be 18 years of age or older and read, write, and speak English Exclusion Criteria: Family is unusually highly emotional Patient will be a living donor Patient is conscious

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Behavioral: family preparation for withdrawing life support|nan|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Are the families who received education/counseling better prepared for the experience of the dying patient |  |  | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| This is a feasibility Pilot Study |  |  | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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dying