• Jennifer N Ervin.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Feb 1; 99 (9): e19272e19272.

AbstractApproximately half of the surrogate decision makers of critically ill adults are at risk for negative emotional burden. Decision support and effective surrogate-clinician communication buffers against such experiences. The objective of this study is to evaluate the acceptability of a new surrogate-targeted educational tool that promotes engagement with clinicians and advocacy for 2 evidence-based practices in the provision of mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure: spontaneous awakening and breathing trials.A panel of 44 former patients and surrogates of a 20-bed medical intensive care unit in a large academic hospital responded to an online survey. Acceptability was measured on 3 dimensions: attitudes toward the content and delivery of information, objective knowledge translation, and subjective knowledge acquisition.More than 80% of participants found the tool to be easy to read, and over 90% felt that the tool provided actionable recommendations. A significant number of previously unsure participants were able to identify what spontaneous awakening and breathing trials are and when they occur, and 16% to 36% reported significant improvements in their subjective understanding of the target evidence-based practices, after being exposed to the educational tool.This line of work seeks to reduce surrogates' negative emotional burden while also promoting quality critical care. The educational tool provides a promising new way to promote surrogate-clinician communication, by increasing surrogates' knowledge about and encouraging advocacy for evidence-based practices in the provision of mechanical ventilation.

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