This project is led by Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, an experienced Intensivist, and Fiona Howarth, a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, both at Fraser Health. Together, the team is passionate about helping families feel informed, supported, and included when their loved ones are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Families of critically ill patients often face uncertainty and emotional distress in the ICU, where medical jargon and limited time with healthcare providers can make it difficult to understand complex conditions and procedures. This lack of accessible, reliable information frequently drives families to search online, where misinformation can negatively impact trust and communication with care teams.
To address this challenge, our project aims to improve communication between ICU staff and families using AI-generated educational handouts. These handouts provide clear, consistent, and compassionate explanations of common ICU conditions, tests, and treatments in language that is easy to understand. By offering accurate written information, we aim to enhance family comprehension, reduce anxiety, and support informed decision-making.
The initiative builds on a successful pilot study conducted at a Fraser Health ICU, where families reported that the AI-generated handouts were helpful, clear, and filled a major communication gap. This aligns with recent research showing that AI-generated medical information is often rated as more empathetic, higher quality, and more comprehensive than traditional communication methods.
With support from the KT Challenge, we will now expand this project to eight ICUs across Fraser Health. We will provide staff training, distribute the handouts, and collect feedback from both families and ICU staff. The project will help families better understand what is happening, reduce anxiety, and support clearer communication.
By making important medical information easier to understand, this project aims to improve the ICU experience for families across BC and create a model that can be used in other hospital settings.