Satisfaction With Digital Communication Among Healthcare Providers and Families in Intensive Care Units: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital communication adoption in intensive care units when traditional bedside visits became restricted. Understanding multi-stakeholder satisfaction with digital communication is essential for optimizing family-centred care in the post-pandemic era.

AIM: To examine satisfaction with digital communication among physicians, nurses and families in intensive care units, identify influencing factors and analyse implications for practice.

STUDY

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study using purposive sampling was conducted from August 2023 to May 2024 in intensive care units at a medical center in Taiwan.

RESULTS

In total, 300 participants (100 physicians, 100 nurses, and 100 family members) participated in this study. Family members reported significantly higher satisfaction (mean 84.6, 95% CI: 82.4-86.8) than physicians (mean 80.6, 95% CI: 78.5-82.7) and nurses (mean 77.8, 95% CI: 75.2-80.5). Communication perception was the strongest predictor of satisfaction (β = 0.34, p < 0.001), explaining 34.0% of variance. Nurses scored significantly higher on communication regulations than physicians (F = 3.39, p = 0.035) and uniquely identified privacy concerns (10 mentions), workload issues and team coordination challenges.

CONCLUSION

Communication perception is the primary determinant of digital communication satisfaction across all stakeholder groups. Nurses demonstrated significantly lower satisfaction and unique concerns regarding workload, privacy and team coordination, requiring targeted institutional support. Optimizing ICU digital communication requires integrated strategies addressing communication quality, workforce support and organizational infrastructure.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare institutions should implement empathetic communication training focussed on positive attitudes (the most valued factor across all groups), establish dedicated communication staff to reduce nurse workload burden, address technical infrastructure barriers (the most frequently cited concern), develop clear protocols for privacy protection and workflow integration and provide simplified medical explanations to enhance family comprehension in ICU digital communication.