Provision of psychological support to people in intensive care (v1.0)

ISRCTN ISRCTN53448131
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN53448131
Secondary identifying numbers 18940
Submission date
15/07/2015
Registration date
16/07/2015
Last edited
18/08/2023
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English Summary

Background and study aims
Many patients suffer distress whilst in an intensive care unit (ICU) and can have a poor psychological recovery after leaving hospital. This could include suffering from frightening flashbacks to intensive care, a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). POPPI investigates whether a nurse-led psychological intervention (program) can improve patients’ psychological recovery after a stay in an ICU and see if this approach is cost-effective.

Who can participate?
Adult patients from ICUs having spent over 48 hours in critical care.

What does the study involve?
ICUs taking part in the study are allocated randomly into one of two groups. Patients attending ICUs in group 1 receive the intervention. Patients attending ICUs in group 2 receive usual care. For the first five months, all sites deliver usual care. The intervention group then undergo training before delivering the intervention for the remaining 6 months. The control group continues to deliver usual care for the entire study period (11 months). At the end of the study, the psychological recovery of patients in the two groups (intervention and control) are compared by measuring patient-reported PTSD symptom severity six months after recruitment onto the study. The costs of the intervention and patients’ quality of life are also compared to measure the cost-effectiveness.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Not provided at time of registration

Where is the study run from?
Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (UK)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2015 to July 2017

Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Mr Paul Mouncey

Contact information

Mr Paul Mouncey
Public

Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre
Napier House
24 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6AZ
United Kingdom

Study information

Study designRandomized; Interventional; Design type: Screening, Treatment
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Scientific titlePsychological Outcomes following a nurse-led Preventative Psychological Intervention for critically ill patients (POPPI) cluster-randomised controlled trial
Study acronymPOPPI
Study hypothesisMany patients suffer distress whilst in an intensive care unit (ICU) and can have a poor psychological recovery after leaving hospital. This could include suffering from frightening flashbacks to intensive care, a symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). POPPI aims to assess whether implementing a nurse-led psychological intervention can improve patients’ psychological recovery after a stay in an ICU and see if this approach is cost-effective.
Ethics approval(s)NRES Committee South Central - Oxford B, 15/05/2015, ref: 15/SC/0287
ConditionTopic: Mental Health, Critical care; Subtopic: Anxiety, Critical care; Disease: Anxiety, All Critical care
Intervention1. An education package (two training courses and associated materials) to train critical care unit staff to carry out parts 2-4 below
2. Creating a less stressful environment in the ICU
3. Assessing patients’ psychological distress in the ICU using the Intensive care Psychological Assessment Tool; and
4. Carrying out three stress support sessions for very distressed patients (delivered by specially trained POPPI nurses).
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measurePTSD symptom severity measured using the PTSD Symptom Scale (Self-report version) (PSS-SR) Timepoint(s): 6 months
Secondary outcome measures1. Cost-effectiveness; Timepoint(s): 6 months
2. Days alive and free from sedation; Timepoint(s): Day 30
3. Depression measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); Timepoint(s): 6 months
4. Duration of critical care unit stay; Timepoint(s): End of critical care unit stay
5. Health-Related Quality of Life; Timepoint(s): 6 months
6. PTSD Symptom Scale (Self-Report version) (PSS-SR) >18; Timepoint(s): 6 months
7. Anxiety measured using the HADS; Timepoint(s): 6 months (added 04/04/2016)
Overall study start date01/09/2015
Overall study end date29/12/2017

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
Lower age limit18 Years
SexBoth
Target number of participantsTarget accrual: 1,378 patients. During recruitment, in consultation with the TSC and DMEC, a review of assumptions underlying the pre-trial power calculation once outcome data were available for patients recruited during the five-month baseline period in both intervention group and control group sites. This review, undertaken using data available on 9 August 2016, established that the planned design had an anticipated 78% power under the observed parameter estimates (allowing for uncertainty in the between-site variation, between 73% and 85% power). Consequently, the decision was taken to extend recruitment in all sites to the end of planned recruitment in the third group of sites (November 2016). With this extension to recruitment, the planned design had an anticipated 85% power (allowing for uncertainty in the between-site variation, between 79% and 91% power). It was anticipated that, with this extension to recruitment, the estimated total number of patients recruited would be 1,378. Recruitment continued to be monitored to ensure 1,378 or more patients were recruited. A final decision to extend recruitment by an additional two months (until end-January 2017) in all sites was taken to ensure this minimum number was achieved.
Participant inclusion criteria1. Age 18 years or greater
2. Greater than 48 hours in critical care
3. Receipt of Level 3 critical care (for any period of time) during the first 48 hours
4. Between +1 and 1 on the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale
5. Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15
6. Englishspeaking and ability to communicate orally
Participant exclusion criteria1. Pre-existing chronic cognitive impairment, such as dementia
2. Pre-existing psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia
3. Pre-existing chronic PTSD
4. Receiving end-of-life-care
5. Previously recruited into POPPI
Recruitment start date01/09/2015
Recruitment end date03/02/2017

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • England
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre
Napier House
24 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6AZ
United Kingdom

Sponsor information

Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre
Hospital/treatment centre

Napier House
24 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6AZ
England
United Kingdom

Website https://www.icnarc.org/Our-Research/Studies/Poppi
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/057b2ek35

Funders

Funder type

Government

National Institute for Health Research, Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme
Government organisation / National government
Alternative name(s)
National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
Location
United Kingdom

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date31/12/2018
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Protocol article protocol 08/02/2018 Yes No
Statistical Analysis Plan statistical analysis plan 01/11/2018 No No
Results article 6-month follow-up results 19/02/2019 25/02/2019 Yes No
Results article results 01/08/2019 13/09/2019 Yes No
HRA research summary 28/06/2023 No No
Other publications 17/03/2020 18/08/2023 Yes No

Editorial Notes

18/08/2023: Publication reference added.
13/09/2019: Publication reference added.
25/02/2019: Publication reference added.
06/07/2018: Publication reference added.
20/06/2018: The following changes have been made:
1. The overall trial end date has been changed from 31/07/2017 to 29/12/2017.
2. The recruitment end date has been changed from 31/01/2017 to 03/02/2017.
3. Publication reference added.
20/02/2017: The target number of participants has been updated from 1914 to 1378.
12/01/2017: The correct date of ethics approval has been added.
19/12/2016: The overall trial end date has been corrected from 30/11/2016 to 31/07/2017 and the recruitment end date has been updated from 30/11/2016 to 31/01/2017.
04/04/2016: Number of participants changed from 2904 to 1914. A secondary outcome measure added to relevant field. Overall study and recruitment start date changed from 01/08/2015 to 01/09/2015. Overall study and recruitment end date changed from 01/10/2016 to 30/11/2016.