Communication impairment is common among critically ill patients who are mechanically ventilated, have tracheostomies, or have neurological injuries such as spinal cord injury. In acute care settings, inability to communicate contributes to patient distress, impairs symptom assessment, and may delay care. Although a range of communication supports exist, many are difficult to use in patients with severe weakness, limited endurance, or fluctuating cognition. More advanced assistive communication systems, including eye-tracking and brain-computer interface platforms, have shown promise in chronic neurological populations but have not been well adapted to the practical realities of acute care.
This study will use a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design to better understand communication barriers in acute care from the perspective of frontline healthcare providers. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with nurses and speech-language pathologists working with patients who have spinal cord injury, tracheostomy, or other causes of impaired verbal communication in ICU and related acute care settings. Findings from these interviews will inform development of a structured survey to be distributed to a broader group of nurses and speech-language pathologists. Qualitative and quantitative findings will then be integrated to identify priority communication needs, limitations of current strategies, and practical requirements for future assistive communication tools. Findings will inform development of clinically relevant communication solutions for acute care environments.
be a healthcare provider such as physicians, registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, or physiotherapists;
work in ICU, spine, neurosurgical, or related acute care inpatient settings;
have experience caring for patients with impaired verbal communication, including patients with tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, or spinal cord injury; and
be able to provide informed consent. A small subset of family caregivers may also be included if they have direct experience supporting communication for patients with impaired verbal communication in these settings.
Individuals not directly involved in the care of patients with impaired verbal communication in the relevant clinical settings
Trainees who are not yet independently practicing, unless they are participating in an independent clinical role
Family caregivers without direct experience supporting communication needs in the acute care setting
Care givers to the non-verbal patients with communication barrier
Other
Prospective
Not listed
High-priority Communication Needs in Acute Care
Communication needs identified as high priority by healthcare providers based on their ratings of the importance and frequency of communication needs experienced by patients with impaired verbal communication in acute care settings. The survey will also assess which communication functions healthcare providers consider most important for inclusion in future assistive communication interfaces.
Priority of Communication Needs in Acute Care
Healthcare providers' ratings of the importance and frequency of communication needs experienced by patients with impaired verbal communication in acute care settings. Priority communication needs will be identified through thematic analysis of interviews and quantified in the Stage 2 survey using importance and frequency ratings.
Current Communication Strategies and Perceived Limitations
Identification and characterization of communication strategies currently used by healthcare providers, including low-technology and augmentative and alternative communication approaches, and perceived limitations or barriers associated with their use. Findings will be derived from qualitative interviews and summarized quantitatively in the survey where applicable.
Priority Communication Functions for Bedside Use
Healthcare providers' prioritization of communication functions considered most appropriate for a simplified bedside assistive communication interface. Participants will select a limited number of communication functions from those identified during the qualitative phase.
Workflow and Implementation Feasibility Requirements
Healthcare providers' perceptions of practical requirements for implementing assistive communication tools in acute care, including acceptable setup time, training requirements, workflow integration, and environmental or clinical barriers.
Communication System Functional Requirements
Identification of functional and interface requirements for future assistive communication systems, including required communication tasks, presentation/interface considerations, contextual information, and usability requirements. Requirements will be identified through thematic analysis and prioritized using survey findings.
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
University of British Columbia
Lead sponsor
Vancouver General Hospital
Collaborator
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options:
