Development of a patient-oriented transfer tool for transition from the intensive care unit to the ward: a mixed methods study

The use of patient/family-centred written summaries to supplement verbal information may be useful to improve knowledge and reduce anxiety related to patient transfer from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a hospital ward. We aimed to identify essential elements to include in an ICU-specific patient-oriented discharge summary tool (PODS-ICU). We conducted a mixed methods study. Participants were ICU patients who were transitioning to a hospital ward and clinicians. We used a validated questionnaire to measure the relocation stress of patients, and standardized questions to qualitatively explore patients' needs during the transition, as well as perspectives of clinician stakeholders. Inductive thematic analysis was used for the qualitative analysis. We recruited 22 participants, including ten patients and 12 clinician stakeholders. Of ten patients, 50-100% reported positive experiences during the transition and 10-30% reported negative experiences. From all participants' perspectives, we identified the following essential elements for the PODS-ICU: the reason for transition, a summary of the ICU course, a clinical update, destination ward details, medication reconciliation, a future care plan, and the planned follow-up by the ICU outreach team. Family presence and earlier notification of an upcoming transfer were identified as support needs to help patients prepare mentally and reduce transfer anxiety. Moreover, using positive communication with patients when providing transfer details and using the brief standardized transfer tool were recommended to improve transition care. We identified informational gaps in patient and family knowledge at the time of transfer from the ICU to a ward, which informed essential elements for the PODS-ICU. The PODS-ICU may reduce transfer anxiety and improve care during the transition from the ICU.