Effect of Intensivist Communication on Surrogate Prognosis Interpretation

Intensivist-surrogate discordance about prognosis is common in the intensive care unit. Minimizing discordance and empowering families to make informed decisions about participants' loved one's care is important, but it is unclear how best to communicate prognostic information to vulnerable surrogates when a patient is expected to die. Participants are randomized to view one of 4 intensivist communication styles in response to the question "What do you think is most likely to happen?": 1) a direct response (control), 2) an indirect response comparing the patient's condition to other patients, 3) an indirect response describing physiology, or 4) redirection to a discussion of patient values and goals. The participant will then be asked a series of questions to measure participants' interpretation of what the intensivist says.