# Development of a Novel Peer-Narrated Virtual Patient Decision Aid for Entry into Alcohol Treatment for ICU Survivors with Alcohol Misuse

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2023 · $83,378

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Alcohol misuse, which includes alcohol use disorder (AUD), is present in up to 2 million patients admitted to an
intensive care unit (ICU) each year. The ICU admission may be a “teachable moment” and many ICU survivors
are motivated to change their drinking. Unfortunately, the current paradigm for linking ICU survivors to alcohol
treatment is ineffective. The unique challenge in harnessing an ICU patient’s motivation is that alcohol treatment
programs are separated from the acute care environment. This proposal describes a 2-year research fellowship
program that will iteratively develop and pilot a peer-narrated virtual tour regarding treatment for ICU survivors
with AUD and will allow Dr. Kelsey Hills-Dunlap to develop an academic career in Critical Care Medicine.
The proposed research program will develop the first and only virtual intervention for ICU survivors with AUD
aimed at increasing entry to alcohol treatment and will provide the research skills necessary to further Dr. Hills-
Dunlap toward her goal of becoming an independent investigator in alcohol health services and critical care
research. The program will consist of direct mentoring from a multidisciplinary team of nationally renowned local
experts in alcohol and critical illness, health behavior change, decision aids, and qualitative methodology. In
addition, a formalized research advisory committee will ensure that the goals and benchmarks of this proposal
are met. The program will also include coursework in clinical sciences, addiction medicine and medical decision
making. This cohesive program will help Dr. Hills-Dunlap learn and apply multiple research methods, acquire
foundational knowledge of addiction medicine focusing on AUD, and gain expertise in the development and
implementation of decision aids for ICU survivors with AUD.
The overall research goal of this proposal is to optimize the way in which alcohol treatment options are delivered
to ICU survivors with AUD through the creation of a peer-narrated virtual tour prototype. Presenting treatment
options in the form of a peer-narrated virtual tour may help overcome the separation between the acute care
environment and alcohol treatment programs. Dr. Hills-Dunlap will build this prototype by first conducting semi-
structured interviews in ICU survivors with AUD to determine the content of the tour. Subsequently, she will
use a rigorous process of development and feedback to create a video prototype of a peer-narrated virtual tour
of the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation (CeDAR), a nationally recognized addiction
treatment center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and will pilot the prototype for
acceptability. This will pave the way for a NIAAA K23 submission to complete peer-narrated virtual tours for the
remaining treatment options in the Denver area and conduct a pragmatic effectiveness study. A peer-narrated
virtual tour for ICU survivors with AUD would he...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10679242
- **Project number:** 1F32AA030915-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelsey R Hills-Dunlap
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $83,378
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10679242

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10679242, Development of a Novel Peer-Narrated Virtual Patient Decision Aid for Entry into Alcohol Treatment for ICU Survivors with Alcohol Misuse (1F32AA030915-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10679242. Licensed CC0.

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