TICU-Feedback-Tool: development and pilot application of a questionnaire to assess performance in tele-intensive care collaborations

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 412 - 8
• Main Authors: Lezius, Franziska, Steinecke, Karin, Herholz, Anne, Schüürhuis, Stephen, Edel, Andreas, Niebank, Michaela, Andrees, Nicolai, Spies, Claudia D., Weiss, Björn, Al-Ashwal, Mohammed, Becker, Alexandra, Borchers, Friedrich, Gaßner, Martina, Ocken, Michele, Hoffmann, Clemens, Paruk, Fathima, Rumschüßel, Kay, Fuhl, Doreen, Heidemann, Stefan, Janssen, Hans-Joachim, Trebus, Frank, Klöpper, Tobias, Büttner, Christoph, Bauhuis, Christoph
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 20.03.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Caregivers; Collaboration; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - therapy; Critical Care - organization & administration; Critical Care - standards; Epidemics; Feedback; Feedback (Psychology); Germany; Hospitals; Humans; Intensive care; Intensive care unit; Intensive Care Units - organization & administration; Likert scale; Management of crises; Medical care; Medical care surveys; Medical equipment; Medical personnel; Methods; Pandemics; Patients; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Quality; Quality management; Quantitative psychology; Questionnaires; SARS-CoV-2; Statistical analysis; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telemedicine; Telemedicine - organization & administration; Telemedicine - standards; Usability; Germany; Telemedicine; Feedback; Quality; Intensive care unit
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-025-12565-4

Telemedicine is a suitable vehicle to facilitate collaboration among hospitals across borders, with the COVID-19 pandemic paving the way for rapidly growing tele-intensive care (TICU) networks, aiming to improve quality of care. Hitherto there are no validated instruments to assess and evaluate performance in international TICU collaboration. We conducted a prospective, structured survey development study with a single-step online expert consensus approach and a pilot application. We propose a 26-indicator TICU-Feedback-Tool assessing user-friendliness, subjective benefit and usability, acceptance and potential for improvement in TICU networks. The instrument is suitable for self-reporting by online questionnaire. We suggest a pilot version of a feedback questionnaire for quality management in (inter-)national TICU networks that will be subject to revisions in the future.