Feasibility and Acceptability of Mobile Phone-Based Surveys to Identify Mental Health Symptoms in Parents/Guardians of PICU Patients

Abstract

Objective: Parents experience psychologic distress during their child’s admission to a PICU, but effective screening for parental mental health symptoms is not the standard of care. We aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile phone-based mental health survey for parents/guardians of PICU patients to facilitate their support by the PICU team. Design: Post hoc analysis of a single-institution pilot study conducted in 2022. Mental health surveys were delivered by text message to parents/guardians of PICU patients over 1 month, beginning 3 days after their child’s PICU admission. In-person interviews 1 month after hospital discharge were used to solicit participants’ opinions on the survey platform and content. Setting: A quaternary U.S. academic medical center. Participants: Parents/guardians of PICU patients. Interventions: None. Measurement and Main Results: Of the 53 participants who consented, 31 (58%) completed the study. Symptoms of acute stress (ASS) were the most common and most severe: 21 participants screened positive for ASS, and 20 of those that screened positive had “moderate” or “severe” symptoms. Among the 23 participants who screened positive for one mental health condition, 10 met the thresholds for all three. Scoring of the protocol’s usability, acceptability, and feasibility showed a System Usability Scale equal to 82 of 100, an Acceptability of Intervention Measure score equal to 4.2 of 5, an Intervention Appropriateness Measure score equal to 4.5 of 5, and Feasibility of Intervention Measure score equal to 4.5 of 5. Conclusions and Relevance: Mobile phone-based screening for parental mental health symptoms is acceptable and may offer the advantage of privacy and flexibility.