• Emily S Burke, James E Slaven, Tracy A Taylor, Patrick O Monahan, Greg A Sachs, and Alexia M Torke.
• Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University Center for Aging Research (E.S.B., T.A.T., G.A.S., A.M.T.), Regenstrief Institute Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Electronic address: esburke@regenstrief.org.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 Oct 1; 66 (4): e461e468e461-e468.

ContextCommunication quality in the hospital impacts outcomes like satisfaction, depression, and anxiety for families, and assessment tools must be efficient and reliable.ObjectivesWe developed the Quick FICS-5 and -10, shorter versions of the 30-item Family Inpatient Communication Survey (FICS).MethodsThe Quick FICS were developed from the original FICS study of hospitalized patients 65+ and their surrogates. The development sample came from the original FICS-30 scale. The validation sample came from a randomized controlled trial of surrogates for adult ICU patients. Participants were family members of patients on medical ICU or inpatient medicine services at three hospitals in a Midwest metropolitan area. We evaluated validity and reliability using factor analysis, internal consistency, and associations with surrogate psychological and decision-making outcomes.ResultsIn the development sample of 364 patient/surrogate dyads, most surrogates were adult children (66.8%), female (70.9%), and white (68.9%). We identified 5-item and 10-item surveys. Exploratory factor analysis supported an overall communication score for the FICS-5 and FICS-10, as well as information and emotional support subscales for the FICS-10. There was high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha was 0.83 for the FICS-5 and 0.90 for the FICS-10; information and emotional support subscales were 0.89 and 0.75 respectively). There was good predictive validity when comparing FICS scores to outcomes six to eight weeks after discharge, including anxiety (P = -0.13; P = 0.0234), and satisfaction with the hospital stay (P = 0.48; P < 0.0001). Similarly, the validation sample (n = 188) revealed Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.81 to 0.93 and significant correlations (P < 0.05) with concurrent distress, anxiety, depression, and decision regret.ConclusionsThe Quick FICS offers efficient, valid, and reliable evaluation of communication quality in the hospital that can be useful for research and quality improvement.Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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