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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02289105

Impact of Active Choice on Advance Directive Completion Rates

The overall objective of this project is to assess if an active choice intervention can increase advance directive completion rates.

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Key information

Conditions

Advance Directive Completion

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

About this study

Nearly 70% of Americans express the desire to die at home, and most individuals want to avoid aggressive or futile care. Despite this, more than half of Americans die in a hospital. Advance directives provide the opportunity to provide, in advance, one's wishes for end of life care, however their completion rates are low. The overall objective of this project is to assess if an active choice intervention can increase AD completion rates. Eligible participants for this study will be all new employees of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) who need to complete their online employment paperwork via the On Boarding portal. Participants will have an advanced health care planning task programmed as part of their On Boarding online employment paperwork. Upon selection of the task, each participant will be directed a designated Advance Healthcare Planning (AHCP) website. Participants will be randomized into either the active choice or control arm of the study and proceed through steps to complete or not complete an AD according to the decision making process of the given study arm. All participants in both groups will have access to additional online and telephone resources thought the entire study for any questions. Participants in the active choice group will be given directions stating they are required to complete either the advanced directive or the declination form in order to complete their On Boarding process. Participants in the control group will be given directions stating that completion of the AD is optional.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • New participants of the University of Pennsylvania Health System who have not yet completed their On Boarding process.
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Have proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English

Exclusion criteria

  • All new UPHS employees will be enrolled

Treatment and study plan

Mandatory active choice

Behavioral

the mandatory active choice group, will be presented two forms at the same time. The first form will be a legally valid AD. The second form will be a declination form. Participants in the intervention arm will be required to complete, and submit either of the two forms the task.

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Participants That Select to Complete an Advance Directive

    Time frame: Baseline - up to 1 year

    We will analyze the effects of the active choice intervention on rates of completion.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Participants Who Already Have ADs

    Time frame: Baseline - up to 1 year

  2. Proportion of Participants Who Return a Signed AD

    Time frame: Baseline - up to 1 year

    This measures the proportion of participants who return a signed and printed copy of their AD of those who completed an AD online.

Other outcomes

  1. Participant Selections on ADs and Declination Forms

    Time frame: Baseline - up to 1 year

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Impact of Active Choice on Completion Rates of Advanced Directives in New Employees of an Academic University Hospital

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
Nov 13, 2014
Registry last updated
Jan 27, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.