Impact of Interactive ICU Diary on Psychological Distress

August 11, 2025 updated by: Taipei Medical University

Effects of Technology-Driven, Interactive Intensive Care Unit Diary on Psychological Distress in Patients Requiring Intensive Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study investigates the effectiveness of a technology-driven, interactive ICU diary in reducing psychological distress, specifically anxiety, depression, and stress, in ICU patients. A single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial will include 56 conscious ICU patients. The primary outcome measures are the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the EuroQol instrument (EQ-5D), assessed at ICU admission, discharge, and one month post-discharge.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study investigates the effectiveness of a technology-driven, interactive ICU diary in reducing psychological distress, specifically anxiety, depression, and stress, in ICU patients. A single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial will include 56 conscious ICU patients, randomly assigned to either the interactive diary group or the standard care group. The interactive diary allows patients to share their feelings and needs via a platform, while family members can send supportive messages, pictures, and videos. Healthcare providers can connect with families and monitor patient conditions through the platform. The primary outcome measures are the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the EuroQol instrument (EQ-5D), assessed at ICU admission, discharge, and one month post-discharge. The expected results indicate that the interactive diary will significantly alleviate psychological distress during the ICU stay and improve post-discharge quality of life, providing valuable insights into enhancing the mental health and overall well-being of ICU patients.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
56

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 110
        • Taipei Medical University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Clear consciousness and able to communicate in Mandarin, Taiwanese, or Hakka
  • Expected ICU stay of at least 72 hours
  • Ability to operate a smart device and use social media applications

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of delirium before joining the study (Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist score ≥ 4)
  • Physical, auditory, or visual impairments preventing the use of smart devices History of epilepsy, cognitive impairments (e.g., hepatic encephalopathy, dementia), or psychiatric disorders
  • Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score not between +1 and -1 (indicating excessive sedation or agitation)
  • Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Score (APACHE-II) > 25 within the first 24 hours of ICU admission (indicating > 50% mortality rate)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Interactive ICU Diary Group
Patients in this group will use a technology-driven, interactive ICU diary from the first day of ICU admission until discharge. Through the diary platform, patients can share their feelings and needs, while family members can send supportive messages, pictures, and videos. Healthcare providers will use the platform to connect with families and monitor patient conditions. The goal is to reduce psychological distress, specifically anxiety, depression, and stress, during the ICU stay.
Other: technology-driven, interactive ICU diary
Through the diary platform, patients can share their feelings and needs, while family members can send supportive messages, pictures, and videos. Healthcare providers will use the platform to connect with families and monitor patient conditions.
No Intervention: routine care
Patients in this group will receive standard ICU care without the use of the interactive ICU diary.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychological Distress Levels (DASS-21)
Time Frame: 7 days after admission and one month post-discharge.
The primary outcome will be the psychological distress levels measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). This scale assesses anxiety, depression, and stress in ICU patients through 21 items, each rated from 0 ("Did not apply to me at all - Never") to 3 ("Applied to me very much, or most of the time - Almost always"). The total score for each subscale (DASS-21-Depression, DASS-21-Anxiety, and DASS-21-Stress) ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater emotional distress. The cutoff scores for DASS-21-Depression, DASS-21-Anxiety, and DASS-21-Stress are >9, >7, and >14, respectively.
7 days after admission and one month post-discharge.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of Life (EQ-5D)
Time Frame: 7 days after admission and one month post-discharge.
The secondary outcome will be the quality of life measured by the EuroQol instrument (EQ-5D-3L). This instrument includes five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension is scored with three levels: no problems (1), some problems (2), and extreme problems (3). The EQ-5D index score, derived using a pre-established conversion formula from neighboring countries like Japan or the UK, ranges from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Additionally, the EQ-VAS, a visual analogue scale from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health), will be used to assess self-perceived health status. The EQ-VAS score will be recorded directly by marking a vertical scale.
7 days after admission and one month post-discharge.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Taipei Medical University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Hsiao-Yean Chiu, Taipei Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 10, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 16, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 22, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 14, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 11, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • N202403088

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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