A Study of Communication Between Clinicians, Patients, and Families in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Enrolling by invitation
Conditions studied: Acute Respiratory Failure, Mechanical Ventilation, Life-Supporting Treatments, Communication, Decision Making, Critical Care, Palliative Care
In brief
The purpose of this study is to investigate a specific approach to patient care called a time-limited trial (TLT). This approach is sometimes used for people who develop critical illness and are cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU). A time-limited trial is a plan made together by medical teams, patients with critical illness (if they can take part), and their families or other important people helping to make their healthcare decisions. A time-limited trial starts with a discussion of the patient's goals and wishes. Then, a plan is made to use ICU treatments for a set period of time to give the patient the chance to recover. After this time, the patient's response to treatment will be reviewed to help guide what to do next. Medical teams consider this kind of plan when it is not clear if a patient can recover to a quality of life that is acceptable to them. With a time-limited trial, patients, families, and medical teams experience this uncertainty together. The main goal of this study is to find the best way to use TLTs for patients in the ICU who have trouble breathing and need mechanical ventilation to help them breathe. The hypothesis is that optimal time-limited trial delivery will reduce the time patients with acute respiratory failure spend in the ICU and will improve the intensive care unit experiences for their families and clinicians.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06042621
- Run by
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- People needed
- 7818
- Starts
- 2024-01-17
- Expected to finish
- 2028-03-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-02-05
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Participants
- Adult (age ≥ 18 years)
- Acute respiratory failure:
- Hypoxemic (low level of oxygen in the blood) or
- Hypercapnic (high level of carbon dioxide in the blood)
- Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (patient needs a breathing machine to help them breathe)
- Surrogates
- The main person/s (primary surrogate/s, also known as legally authorized representative/s) who are making medical decisions on behalf of an eligible patient
- Will be identified by the treating ICU team according to established legal and ethical standards
- ICU Team Members
- A member of the interprofessional hospital staff that is caring for an eligible patient
- Team members may include advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners/ physicians assistants), case managers, chaplains, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, physicians (attending/fellow/resident), respiratory therapists, and social workers.
You may not qualify if…
- Participants
- Participant or their legally authorized representative declines participation or opts-out of data collection
- Surrogates
- Cannot complete surveys and interviews in English or Spanish
- Declines participation
- ICU Team Members
- Opts out of study participation
Where it is running
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital — Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital — Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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