Effects of a Video and Audio Support Tool on Family Members' Preferences and Understanding Regarding Life-Sustaining Treatments: Before-and-After Study.
Hyo Jin Lee, Kwonhyung Hyung, Heemoon Park et al.
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In 30 seconds
This pre–post study assessed whether audio or video education affected knowledge of and preferences for life-sustaining treatments among adult family members of ICU patients in South Korea. The 168 participants were randomly allocated equally to verbal or video materials. Knowledge scores improved overall from 7.44 ± 1.57 to 8.49 ± 1.79 (p < 0.005), with significant improvement in both groups. Preferences for most treatments did not change significantly; tracheostomy was the exception, with more participants changing from “no” to “yes” than from “yes” to “no.”
Key findings
- Knowledge scores rose from 7.44 ± 1.57 to 8.49 ± 1.79 overall (p < 0.005).
- Knowledge improved in the video group (7.48 ± 1.56 to 8.64 ± 1.52) and audio group (7.40 ± 1.58 to 8.34 ± 2.03; both p < 0.005).
- For tracheostomy, 10.7% (18/168) changed from “no” to “yes,” versus 3.6% (6/168) from “yes” to “no” (p = 0.023).
- Preferences for most life-sustaining treatments remained unchanged; separate analyses found no significant preference changes in either education group.
Why it matters
Family members may need to understand life-sustaining treatments when decisions are being considered for critically ill patients. These findings suggest that brief audio or video education can improve measured knowledge, while preferences may remain stable for most treatments. The tracheostomy result also indicates that preferences can shift for a specific intervention, underscoring the value of discussing treatment-specific understanding and choices.
What to keep in mind
The pre–post design measures changes after education but does not establish that the materials caused them. The abstract does not report longer-term follow-up.