Use of Connected Glasses to Help the Communication of Non Temporarily Speaking Patients in Intensive Care Unit : a Pilot Study

Overview

Hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU) is accompanied by major physical and emotional stress for patients, a source of discomfort and a risk factor for post-resuscitation syndrome. Efficient patient-caregiver and patient-family communication is needed to: understand the patient's symptoms in order to relieve them, understand the patient's primary needs, understand the patient's questions and concerns in order to respond to them, rehumanize our care and re-establish a more balanced relationship with the patient. However, communication with the patient is often limited, due for example to invasive mechanical ventilation: it is estimated that half of intubated patients meet basic communication criteria (calm patient responding to simple commands and verbal requests) after 2 days of mechanical ventilation, without however being able to express themselves verbally. Augmentative and alternative communication tools exist, ranging from pictograms and slates to voice synthesizers, and are used in ICU. The critical care departments of the University Hospitals of Marseille and Tours use a communication interface consisting of a mobile screen with eye tracking for vigilant patients unable to communicate verbally, which seems to have been appreciated by patients and their families, although its effect has not been measured. Connected glasses are one of the tools available. These are pairs of glasses fitted with infrared sensors that detect a signal predefined with the patient (such as a wink) and thus enable a tablet with customized communication software to be clicked on and navigated. Potential advantages over eye tracking, which has already been used in critical care departments, include: use in low-light conditions, smaller size (no need for an arm to adjust screen orientation), less concentration (eye tracking requires precise, sustained eye fixation). The objective is to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using this tool in non temporarily speaking patients hospitalized in ICU.

* The main objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the ability of ICU patients, who are vigilant but unable to communicate verbally, to use connected glasses as a communication aid. * The secondary objectives are to assess the limitations to the use of the communication aid and to measure the qualitative and quantitative impact of the communication tool. * Course of the study : Participation in the study is offered to any patient hospitalized in the department for a foreseeable period of ≥ 48 hours and whose clinical condition corresponds to the selection criteria. After oral and written information, the patient's non-opposition is collected and consigned in the information notice in the patient's file. Calibration of the connected glasses is carried out with the patient by trained medical and nursing staff (choice of personalized signal to control the cursor on the electronic tablet). Then, the connected glasses are put on the patient by the medical and nursing staff for an exchange session facilitated by the communication interface (no predefined duration): at least at each monitoring round (every 4 hours except during the night round if the patient is asleep) and during the medical visit each morning. Installation and actual use times are timed. Outcomes (see below) are collected on a Case Report Form (CRF) at the patient's bedside. Use of the connected glasses is temporarily suspended if the patient's condition no longer allows him/her to use it (onset of confusion, change in neurological status, deterioration in helath state). It may be resumed if the patient's condition subsequently improves. * The study ends: * when the patient is able to communicate verbally (e.g. extubation, decanulation) or using the slate (e.g. recovery of sufficient motor skills to use the slate correctly); * or when the patient is discharged from the ICU; * or after a maximum of 1 month's use of the tool for each patient. * After the study : there is no other data collected, the patient will not be contacted relating to the study.