COMMUNICATION

This study tested if a new communication strategy could reduce aggressive, unhelpful treatments for very sick patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Doctors and families agreed to try treatments for a set time to see if the patient improved, aiming to avoid prolonged sufferin…

This study tested whether a technology that monitors driving in the car, sometimes combined with training for parents on how to talk about safety, could help teens drive more safely. It involved 240 teens in Ohio, aged 16-17, who had recently gotten a traffic ticket. Researchers …

This study tested whether a special communication tool called 'Best Case/Worst Case' helps doctors have better conversations with older patients who have severe, permanent kidney failure. The tool helps doctors and patients talk about future care options, quality of life, and end…

This study tested a new smartphone app designed to help patients with tracheostomies communicate. When patients have a breathing tube in their neck, they can't speak, which causes distress and safety risks. The app uses lip-reading technology to translate a patient's lip movement…

This study tested whether a new series of structured meetings between doctors, nurses, and parents could improve care for children with very serious cancer. The meetings, which used visual aids, aimed to help families and medical teams better align on treatment goals from diagnos…

This study tested whether a family therapy program could be delivered effectively through video calls (telehealth) to help teens in foster care and their birth parents or caregivers. Researchers adapted an existing program to improve how families communicate and manage difficult …

This study tested a program called PRISM, designed to help teens and young adults (ages 12-24) with advanced cancer. The program taught skills like stress management, goal-setting, and finding meaning to improve their quality of life and reduce anxiety and depression. Researchers…

This study tested a new training program designed to improve communication skills for occupational therapy interns working with mental health patients. Researchers developed the program with input from experts and recent graduates, then tested it by comparing interns who received…

This study looked at how the way a physical therapist talks about virtual reality (VR) treatment affects what patients with chronic pain believe about it. Researchers showed 115 participants different educational videos where the therapist's language was either positive (placebo)…

This small pilot study tested whether artificial intelligence could help solve a common problem in intensive care units: giving families clear, daily written updates without overburdening busy doctors and nurses. Researchers had ICU clinicians review and edit AI-generated summari…

This study tested whether a peer mentoring program could help nursing students improve their therapeutic communication skills, especially when working with children. Researchers divided 73 nursing students into two groups: one received extra one-on-one coaching from fellow studen…

This study tested a 'Best Case/Worst Case' communication tool to improve how trauma doctors talk with families of severely injured older patients. Researchers trained surgeons at two hospitals to use the tool, which helps outline possible recovery paths. They then surveyed family…