The following is a summary of “Self-Care Mental Health App Intervention for Post–Intensive Care Syndrome–Family: A Randomized Pilot Study,” published in the November 2023 issue of Critical Care by Petrinec et al.
Post-intensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F) is a constellation of adverse psychological symptoms experienced by family members of critically ill patients, and smartphone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy is a novel approach to self-management.
Researchers started a retrospective study to determine if smartphone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy reduces PICS-F symptoms in families of ICU patients.
They involved family members of patients admitted to 2 adult ICUs. The intervention entailed utilizing a mental health app installed on participants’ smartphones. The timeline comprised three-time points: enrollment (within 5 days of ICU admission – time 1), 30 days post-enrollment (time 2), and 60 days post-enrollment (time 3). Measured parameters included demographic data, PICS-F symptoms, mental health self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and app usage.
The results showed a sample of 60 mainly white individuals (72%) and females (78%) as family members (30 in the intervention group, 30 in the control group). Anxiety and depression symptom severity notably reduced over time within the intervention group, contrasting with the control group. Family members, on average, utilized the app around 11.4 times (ranging from 1 to 53 times) and spent about 50.16 minutes (ranging from 1.87 to 245.92 minutes) using it.
Investigators concluded that smartphone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy may help reduce PICS-F symptoms in families of critically ill patients.
