Published ahead of print on December 4, 2003, doi:10.1164/rccm.200305-645OC
© 2004 American Thoracic Society Junior versus Senior Physicians for Informing Families of Intensive Care Unit PatientsService de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Élie Azoulay, M.D., Ph.D., Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France. E-mail: elie.azoulay{at}sls.ap-hop-paris.fr To compare the effectiveness of information delivered to family members of critically ill patients by junior and senior physicians, we performed a prospective randomized multicenter trial in 11 French intensive care units. Patients (n = 220) were allocated at random to having their family members receive information by only junior or only senior physicians throughout the intensive care unit stay; there were 92 and 93 evaluable cases in the junior and senior groups, respectively, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics. Between Days 3 and 5, one family representative per patient was evaluated for comprehension of the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment in the patient; satisfaction with information and care; and presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. No significant differences were found between the two groups for any of these three criteria. Family members informed by a junior physician were more likely to feel they had not been given enough information time (additional time wanted: 3 [0–6.5] vs. 0 [0–5] minutes, p = 0.01) and to have sought additional explanations from their usual doctor (48.9 vs. 34.4%, p = 0.004). Specialty residents, if given opportunities for acquiring experience, can become proficient in communicating with families and share this task with senior physicians.
Key Words: intensive care unit • comprehension • communication • residents • learning This article has been cited by other articles:
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