Patient Understanding of End of Life Care

NCT01683097 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: SVH 1195
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 300
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims at assessing factors that affect patient choices for end of life care. 300 patients would be assigned either to a control arm (questionnaire alone) or intervention arm (standardized explanation+ questionnaire). Our intervention is a standardized explanation which explains what code status, advance directive and end of life care mean. Based on patient responses, factors that affect choices of code status would be analyzed. We will also evaluate if a standardized explanation improves patient understanding of end of life issues. This would be determined by generating a composite score of correct responses to a subset of objective questions in the questionnaire

Conditions

Advance Directives; Resuscitation Orders

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Composite score of correct responses

  Patients in both arms were administered a questionnaire, that assessed demographics, subjective questions as well as a set of objective questions designed to assess patient understanding of code status. The responses to the objective questions were scored and the composite score of correct responses was used as a marker of patient understanding. Patients in the control arm were administered the questionnaire alone. Patients in the intervention arm first received our standard explanation, and were then administered the questionnaire

  Patients interviewed within 48 hours of admission, questionnaire adminsitered at the time of interview

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Compare differences in demographic, medical, social and associated factors on patient choice of code status

  Patients interviewed within 48 hours of admission, questionnaire adminsitered at the time of interview

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Questionnaire

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Standardized explanation followed by questionnaire

Other: Standardized explanation

Interventions

Standardized explanation OTHER

Standardized explanation provided on code status, advance directives and end of life care

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age \>18 years
• Admitted to regular nursing floor

You may not qualify if:

• altered mental status
• admitted in ICU
• positive screening for depression
• terminal illness defined as life expectancy\< 100 days
• inability to consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Partners in Internal Medicine: lead

Study Sites (1)

Saint Vincent Hospital

Worcester, Massachusetts, 01608, United States

Location

Study Officials

• George Abraham, MD

  Saint Vincent Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Kriti Mittal, MD

  Saint Vincent Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 25, 2012
• First Posted: September 11, 2012
• Study Start: March 1, 2009
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2010
• Study Completion: June 1, 2010
• Last Updated: September 11, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-09

Locations

US (1)