Table 2

Primary and secondary outcomes

ConstructSpecific measureType; rangeSourceTiming
Primary study outcome
Family-reported Quality of Communication (QOC)The QOC questionnaire, including 6-item general communication subscale and 7-item EOL communication subscale (20 items)Continuous; 0–10Family member survey5–7 days after admission
Secondary outcomes
Family-reported General QOCThe general communication subscale or the QOC questionnaire (6 items)Continuous; 0–10Family member survey5–7 days after admission
Family-reported End-of-Life (EOL) QOCThe EOL communication subscale or the QOC questionnaire (7 items)Continuous; 0–10Family member survey5–7 days after admission
Receipt of Goal Concordant Care (GCC)The GCC survey 2 items: (1) preferences for care and (2) current receipt of care consistent with preferencesBinary; 1/0Family member survey5–7 days after admission
Moral Distress (MMD-HP)MMD-HP measures the frequency and level of distress of clinician experiences, targeting situations specifically related to serious illness communication. (27 items)Continuous;
0–432
Clinician surveyT0 and T1*
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)Emotional Exhaustion (EE) subscale of MBI for Medical Personnel (22 items total, 9 items on subscale)Continuous; EE: 0–54Clinician surveyT0 and T1
Depersonalisation (DP) subscale of MBI for Medical Personnel (22 items total, 5 items on subscale)Continuous; DP: 0–30Clinician surveyT0 and T1
Personal Accomplishment (PA) subscale of MBI for Medical Personnel (22 items total, 8 items on subscale)Continuous; PA: 0–48Clinician surveyT0 and T1
ICU length of stayTotal time measured in days patient spent receiving ICU care during admission for traumatic injury (not necessarily concurrent)Continuous (log-transformed)TQIP chart reviewDuring hospitalisation
Total ventilator daysTotal time measured in days patient spent on a ventilator during admission for traumatic injuryContinuousTQIP chart reviewDuring hospitalisation
DeathIn-hospital patient deathTime to eventTQIP chart reviewDuring Hospitalisation
Patient 6-month mortalityBinary; 1/0TQIP chart review6 months
Withdrawal of life- supporting treatmentTime between admission and withdrawal of life-supporting treatment at the EOLTime to eventTQIP chart reviewDuring hospitalisation
Practitioner opinion surveyTrauma surgeon’s impressions of the communication tool (12 items)Ordinal; 5-point Likert scaleSurgeonOn study
Completion
  • *T0= 3 months before implementation, T1: 1 year after T0.

  • ICU, intensive care unit ; TQIP, Trauma Quality Improvement Program.