Development of intersectoral medical care for patients with 'chronic critical illness': protocol for a telemedicine interventional study with a pre-post design in out-of-hospital intensive care facilities (E=MC²).

introductionPatients receiving long-term ventilation (LTV) in out-of-hospital intensive care facilities often suffer from persistent impairments of their cognition, mental health and physical health, limiting their social participation. Chronically ill patients are often unable to express their care preferences. Thus, their medical care often lacks integration of patients' wishes and values. Telemedicine may be used to collect patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) from these patients to align medical care with their preferences. Early integration of teleconsultation to provide rapid support for specific patient symptoms can reduce economic costs. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicentre, prospective, non-blinded, single-arm interventional trial with a pre-post design and follows the ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study protocol received approval from the Ethics Committee of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany (EA2/136/22). The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and presented at international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study was registered in the 'German Register of Clinical Studies' (DRKS; DRKS00029326).