Validation of the French-Canadian Version of FAME, a Family Engagement Measurement Tool for the Intensive Care Unit

Background A growing body of evidence supports the benefits of family engagement in patient care in intensive care units (ICUs). The English version of the FAMily Engagement (FAME) tool has been validated to measure ICU family engagement. This study aimed to validate the French-Canadian version of FAME. Methods Participant-level data from two prospective observational validation studies of the FAME tool, involving family members of patients from eight Canadian ICUs between May 2022 and July 2024, were included. Family members completed FAME in English or French-Canadian. Following discharge, family members completed questionnaires measuring care satisfaction and mental health (anxiety and depression). Reliability was assessed by internal consistency, and convergent and predictive validity by correlation between FAME and related outcome measures. A comparison of French and English scores was also conducted. Results A total of 104 family members completed the French-Canadian FAME questionnaire (age 57.0 ± 15.2 years; 62% women; 8% non-White; 53% spouse/partner). This version demonstrated internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84) and convergent and predictive validity. FAME was associated with care satisfaction, but not anxiety or depression scores. There were no significant differences in overall FAME, care satisfaction, or anxiety and depression scores between the French and English cohorts (p > 0.05). Conclusion The French-Canadian version of the FAME tool demonstrated reliability and convergent and predictive validity in French-Canadian speakers, supporting the inclusion of French-speaking family members in future studies utilizing the FAME tool to measure family involvement in ICU patient care. This study includes data from Measuring Family Engagement in Care (The FAME Study), ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05659485): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05659485