Defining Informal Caregiving and Caregivers for Persons Living With Dementia.

Purpose: To present an overview of current definitions of informal caregiving and informal caregivers for persons living with dementia (PLWD). We suggest definitional criteria of informal caregiving for dementia caregiving research that incorporate current dementia caregiving policy and programs.

Method: A multi-pronged review and analysis was performed of the scientific literature from 2014 to 2024 and online documents from professional, public advocacy, and government organizations for definitions of informal caregiving and applications to informal caregiving of PLWD.

Preliminary efficacy of the vidatalk communication application on family psychological symptoms in the intensive care unit: A pilot study.

Background: Family caregivers of ICU patients experience difficulty communicating with patients during mechanical ventilation. Little is known about patient-family communication in the ICU and the associated emotional distress.

Objectives: To examine the preliminary effects of the VidaTalk™ communication app on anxiety, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms among family caregivers.

Urban Zen integrative therapy: Understanding intervention delivery adherence.

Background: Complementary health approaches have shown therapeutic benefits in symptom reduction and improved patients' quality of life for chronic debilitating conditions such as cancer and pulmonary hypertension. Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT) is a mindfulness-based multicomponent complementary intervention shown to improve symptom management and quality of life in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Consistent intervention delivery across interventionists is critical to test mindfulness-based multicomponent interventions on a larger scale and further implementations as an augmented practice in routine care.

A Core Outcome Set for Research Evaluating Interventions to Enable Communication in Patients With an Artificial Airway: An International Delphi Consensus Study (Comm-COS).

Objectives: Critically ill adults requiring artificial airways experience profound communication deficits. Studies of interventions supporting communication report disparate outcomes, creating subsequent challenges in the interpretation of their effectiveness. Therefore, we aimed to develop international consensus for a communication core outcome set (Comm-COS) for future trials of communication interventions in this population.

Measures of Patient and Surrogate Preparedness for End-of-Life Decision-Making.

Context: Reliable and valid measures are critical in accurately assessing outcomes of advance care planning interventions (ACP) for end-of-life (EOL) decision-making.

Objectives: To develop measures of preparedness for EOL decision-making for patients with end-stage renal disease and their surrogates (an exemplar population).

Methods: In this 3-phase study, Phases 1 and 2 included a cross-discipline concept analysis of the preparedness construct, item generation for patient and surrogate scales (82 items), evaluation of content validity and readability, cognitive interviewing, and item reduction.

An observational pilot study of sleep disruption and delirium in critically ill children.

Background: Sleep disruption is frequently observed in children with delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Objectives: This observational pilot study explores relationships among modifiable characteristics of the PICU environment (i.e.

Informal Caregiving Networks of Older Adults With Dementia Superimposed on Multimorbidity: A Social Network Analysis Study.

Background And Objectives: Caregiving is a social process and commonly involves more than a single caregiver, especially for older adults with multimorbidity, including dementia. This study was to characterize informal caregiving networks of older adults with dementia superimposed on multimorbidity (e.g.

Symptom Assessment for Mechanically Ventilated Patients: Principles and Priorities: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

Mechanically ventilated patients experience many adverse symptoms, such as anxiety, thirst, and dyspnea. However, these common symptoms are not included in practice guideline recommendations for routine assessment of mechanically ventilated patients. An American Thoracic Society-sponsored workshop with researchers and clinicians with expertise in critical care and symptom management was convened for a discussion of symptom assessment in mechanically ventilated patients.

Defining effective communication for critically ill patients with an artificial airway: An international multi-professional consensus.

Objectives: To define effective communication and identify its key elements specific to critically ill patients with an artificial airway.

Design: A modified Consensus Development Panel methodology.

Setting: International video-conferences.

Communication with mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units: A concept analysis.

Aims: The aim of this study was to perform a concept analysis of communication with mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units and present a preliminary model for communication practice with these patients.

Design: The Im & Meleis approach for concept analysis guided the study.

Search Methods: A literature search was performed in January 2022 in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, psycINFO and Scopus, limited to 1998-2022.

Sleep disruption and delirium in critically ill children: Study protocol feasibility.

Delirium is a serious complication of pediatric critical illness. Sleep disruption is frequently observed in children with delirium, and circadian rhythm dysregulation is one proposed cause of delirium. Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience multiple environmental exposures with the potential to disrupt sleep.

Impact of COVID-19 on Patient-Provider Communication in Critical Care: Case Reports.

Introduction: Communication impairment during mechanical ventilation and prolonged critical illness is extremely frustrating and frightening for patients and increases the risk for miscommunication, misinterpretation, and poor outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified patient communication impairment in intensive care units. This article presents 3 case examples from the experience of a team of hospital-based speech-language pathologists providing augmentative and alternative communication support resources and services to intensive care unit patients treated for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic.

Examining the Association of Billed Advance Care Planning With End-of-Life Hospital Admissions Among Advanced Cancer Patients in Hospice.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP), or the consideration and communication of care preferences for the end-of-life (EOL), is a critical process for improving quality of care for patients with advanced cancer. The incorporation of billed service codes for ACP allows for new inquiries on the association between systematic ACP and improved EOL outcomes.

Objective: Using the IBM MarketScan® Database, we conducted a retrospective medical claims analysis for patients with an advanced cancer diagnosis and referral to hospice between January 2016 and December 2017.

Simulation Platform Development for Diabetes and Technology Self-Management.

Background: Specialized education is critical for optimal insulin pump use but is not widely utilized or accessible. We aimed to (1) test the usability and acceptability of A1Control, a simulation platform supporting insulin pump education, and (2) determine predictors of performance.

Method: Rural adult insulin pump users with type 1 diabetes (T1D) participated in a mixed methods usability study in 2 separate rounds.

Expect the unexpected: Adolescent and pre-teens' experience of diabetes technology self-management.

Objective: Only 17% of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are currently meeting their glycemic targets despite advances in diabetes technologies. Self-management behaviors and challenges specific to use of diabetes technologies are insufficiently studied in adolescents. We aimed to describe the experience of diabetes technology self-management, including facilitators and barriers, among preteens/adolescents with low and high A1C.

Giving Voice: Nurse-Patient Communication in the Intensive Care Unit.

Communication is the essence of the nurse-patient relationship. The critical care nurse's role in facilitating patient communication and enabling communication between patients and their families has never been more important or poignant than during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have witnessed tremendous examples of resourceful, caring nurses serving as the primary communication partner and support for isolated seriously ill patients during this pandemic.

VidaTalk™ patient communication application "opened up" communication between nonvocal ICU patients and their family.

Objectives: To explore family members' perceptions of an electronic communication application, VidaTalk™, their communication experience, and emotional reactions to communication with mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care units.

Research Methodology/design: Qualitative phase of a mixed-methods study nested within a randomised controlled trial. Family members in the intervention group received the VidaTalk™ app as a communication aid during their intensive care stay.

From Consultant to Co-investigator: One Diabetes Research Team's Journey of Patient Engagement.

Patients with diabetes are experts in the lived experience of self-management, making patient engagement beyond the role of research "subject" imperative for the creation of health care solutions that meaningfully address the problems they identify. We discuss our research team's relationship with our university's College Diabetes Network (CDN), an advocacy and support group for emerging adults with diabetes. Our collaborative research relationship has spanned three years, and multiple research studies with members serving as co-designers, consultants, and co-investigators.

Perceptions of Cervical Cancer and Screening Behavior among Cambodian and Lao Women in the United States: An Exploratory, Mixed-Methods Study.

This concurrent mixed method study examined barriers to cervical cancer screening (CCS) among Cambodian and Lao women and mother-daughter communication about women's health, cervical cancer, and screening. We conducted seven focus groups with purposeful samples of Cambodian and Lao women in the Midwest. The participants completed a survey on health characteristics and attitudes about CCS.