What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 111 patients with anxiety. The study was sponsored by Duke University and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
Family members using the app saw a 6.6-point greater improvement in unmet needs scores after three days.
JAMA network open · 2024 · NCT03506438
These findings — that families using the app had fewer unmet support needs by day three — were published in the JAMA network open and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 111 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with anxiety, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was a research study and ICUconnect is not yet widely available. The findings showed promise for White families but the app did not help Black families as much, which needs to be addressed. If your loved one is in the ICU, ask the medical team about palliative care support and resources for family members.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open anxiety trials
Efficacy of Music-Based Telerehabilitation After Stroke
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a music-based telerehabilitation intervention implemented at home works to treat different kinds of neurological deficits caused by stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1) Can the music intervention improve recovery of cognitive, verbal, motor, and emotional deficits after stroke, 2) can the music intervention enhance structural and functional recovery of the brain, and (3) how different demographic, musical, and clinical background factors affect the way the music intervention works. Researchers will compare the music intervention to standard (usual) care to see if the music intervention works to treat the deficits caused by stroke. Subjects are stroke patients who will participate either in the music intervention 5 times/week for 10 weeks in addition to standard care or receive standard care only. During the trial, the subjects will undergo neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) three times: at baseline (before the intervention), at 3-month stage (immediately after the intervention), and at 6-month stage (3 months after the intervention).
Impact of Virtual Reality on Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Interventional Procedures
Periprocedural anxiety is a common problem for patients who undergo interventional pain procedures. Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive experience that has gained acceptance in the medical field as a tool for reducing anxiety and pain for patients.Research Aim: To evaluate the effect of immersive virtual reality (VR) on periprocedural anxiety related to therapeutic cervical epidural steroid injections (ESI). The investigators hypothesize that immersive virtual reality will result in a clinically meaningful anxiety reduction, defined as the proportion of participants with \> 50% reduction in Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) anxiety scores when compared to participants in the non-treatment group who will have standard preprocedural waiting time conditions in clinic, but no VR experience. Similarly, the investigators hypothesize a significant reduction in objective sympathetic tone as measured by skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA).