PICU diaries and parental PTSD symptoms-a pilot randomized controlled trial assessing feasibility and psychological outcomes.
Pilot ICU-diary trial in the pediatric intensive care units is feasible, with high parent retention.
PICU diaries and parental PTSD symptoms-a pilot randomized controlled trial assessing feasibility and psychological outcomes.
Parents of children admitted to pediatric intensive care units (pediatric intensive care units) are at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (post-traumatic stress disorder), potentially affecting long-term family well-being.
This analysis evaluates the feasibility of a pilot randomized controlled trial (randomized controlled trial) of pediatric intensive care units diaries, including recruitment, retention, and data collection, while providing insights into intervention implementation.
Families were randomized to an ICU diary intervention group (intervention group) or control group (control group), with stratification by child age.
nearly all families stayed enrolled through six months, supporting a larger trial
Of 149 eligible families, 104 (69.8%) consented to participate, resulting in a final sample of 150 parents.
In exploratory analyses, 19 (12.7%) parents screened positive for suspected post-traumatic stress disorder after 6 months, providing preliminary estimates for future sample size calculations.
Prevalence of suspected post-traumatic stress disorder was 14.5% (10/69) in intervention group and 11.1% (9/81) in control group (OR = 1.36; 95% CI: 0.52-3.56).
Parents who screened positive were more likely to exhibit lower resilience.
This pilot study demonstrates that a randomized controlled trial of ICU diaries in a pediatric intensive care units setting is feasible, with successful recruitment, high retention, and efficient data collection procedures.
The intervention was integrated into routine care without indication of harm. Preliminary findings provide important estimates to inform the design and sample size of a fully powered trial.