Family-Authored ICU Diaries to Reduce Fear in Patients Experiencing a Cardiac Arrest (FAID Fear): A Pilot Intervention Study

A cardiac arrest (CA) is a terrifying experience for patients, but maybe even more so for their loved ones. CA patients often have little to no memory of the CA and are often unconscious for substantial parts of their hospitalization, particularly their time in the intensive care unit (ICU) . In contrast, family members often witness all of these things, resulting in high levels of fear and psychological distress in family members. This phenomenon is so prevalent that it has been termed Post-Intensive Care Syndrome - Family (PICS - Family).

Critically, emotions are socially transmitted and memories are socially constructed. In this manner, family members can transmit their distress onto patients. Prior research has suggested that patients experiencing CA will develop memories of the CA event over time - potentially because they are trying to "fill in the gaps" in their memory. As such, family members may play a critical role in creating and cementing fear-based memories and distress in patients experiencing a CA. CA patients often report cardiac fear and preoccupation. This is not without consequence: fear-based distress, particularly early anxiety related to symptoms (e.g., rapid heartbeat) and markers for PTSS in other patient populations predicts reduced engagement in behavior necessary for secondary prevention (e.g., reduced physical activity) and increased morbidity and mortality. Distress in family members can also have an adverse impact on patients by undermining the capacity of family members to provide effective social support that can buffer patient distress.

A prior clinical trial found that family-authored diaries significantly reduced PTSS in family members (26.3% lower in intervention v. control conditions, 95% CI 4.8, 52.2) and trended towards a reduction in PTSS for patients (11.2% lower, 95% CI 15.7, 46.8). However, mechanisms of these effects were not examined, and no dyadic effects were tested. Furthermore, these previous diary studies have been conducted with the intention of sharing diaries with patients.

The present study will test the feasibility involving a similar Family-Authored ICU-diary intervention to reduce a proximal, dyadic mechanism: fear of CA in patients' family members. The target audience of the diary is thus family members, and patients will not see the diary unless the family member individually chooses to share it. The feasibility of targeting family member well-being alone is untested. The long-term goal is conducting a large scale randomized clinical trial (RCT) that tests whether a family-authored ICU diary can reduce fear of cardiac arrest in family members, and in turn, improve patients' mental wellbeing, health behaviors, and, ultimately, health outcomes.