Trial reportChest2011
ICU care associated with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder among family members of patients who die in the ICU.
Trial report in Chest, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 196 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers in the intensive care unit: a systematic review.BMC palliative care · 2021Pooled it
- Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Post-ICU Family Members: Review and Methodological Challenges.Western journal of nursing research · 2016Pooled it
- Effect of an intensive care unit virtual reality intervention on relatives´ mental health distress: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Trial
- Effect of Advance Care Planning on Surrogate Decision Makers' Preparedness for Decision Making: Results of a Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of palliative medicine · 2021Trial
- Measuring Depression-Severity in Critically Ill Patients' Families with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ): Tests for Unidimensionality and Longitudinal Measurement Invariance, with Implications for CONSORT.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2016Trial
- The effect of framing on surrogate optimism bias: A simulation study.Journal of critical care · 2016Trial
- The effect of emotion and physician communication behaviors on surrogates' life-sustaining treatment decisions: a randomized simulation experiment.Critical care medicine · 2013Trial
- Survey burden for family members surveyed about end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2012Trial
- Anxiety, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Relatives of Patients Admitted to Intensive and Cardiac Intensive Care Units.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Communication, Shared Decision-making and Goals of Care in the ICU through Electronic Health Records: A Scoping Review.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2024Article
- Family Satisfaction of Polytrauma Patients in Intensive Care Unit at a Tertiary Care Center.Cureus · 2024Article
- Disrupted Sensemaking-Understanding Family Experiences of Physical Restraints in ICU: A Phenomenological Approach in the Context of COVID-19.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Comorbid Prolonged Grief, PTSD, and Depression Trajectories for Bereaved Family Surrogates.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Temporal reciprocal relationships among anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder for family surrogates from intensive care units over their first two bereavement years.BMC psychiatry · 2023Observational
- Does an educational website improve psychological outcomes and satisfaction among family members of intensive care unit patients?Critical care science · 2023Article
- Article
- Piloting Group-Based Behavioral Activation Therapy for Families of Deceased COVID-19 Patients.Critical care explorations · 2022Article
- How symptoms of prolonged grief disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression relate to each other for grieving ICU families during the first two years of bereavement.Critical care (London, England) · 2022Review
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPsychologic symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are relatively common among family members of patients who die in the ICU. The patient-level risk factors for these family symptoms are not well understood but may help to target future interventions.
methodsWe performed a cohort study of family members of patients who died in the ICU or within 30 h of ICU transfer. Outcomes included self-reported symptoms of PTSD and depression. Predictors included patient demographics and elements of palliative care.
resultsTwo hundred twenty-six patients had chart abstraction and family questionnaire data. Family members of older patients had lower scores for PTSD (P = .026). Family members that were present at the time of death (P = .021) and family members of patients with early family conferences (P = .012) reported higher symptoms of PTSD. When withdrawal of a ventilator was ordered, family members reported lower symptoms of depression (P = .033). There were no other patient characteristics or elements of palliative care associated with family symptoms.
conclusionsFamily members of younger patients and those for whom mechanical ventilation is not withdrawn are at increased risk of psychologic symptoms and may represent an important group for intervention. Increased PTSD symptoms among family members present at the time of death may reflect a closer relationship with the patient or more involvement with the patient's ICU care but also suggests that family should be offered the option of not being present.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.