Increasing the Number of Patients Receiving Information About Transition to End-of-life Care

Introduction: Honest prognostication and information for patients are important parts of end-of-life care. This study examined whether an educational intervention could increase the proportion of patients who received information about the transition to end-of-life care (ITEOL).

Method: Two municipalities (in charge of nursing homes) and two hospitals were randomized to receive an interactive half-day course about ITEOL for physicians and nurses. The proportion of patients who received ITEOL was measured with data from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC). Patients were only included if they died an expected death and maintained their ability to express their will until days or hours before their death. Four hospitals and four municipalities were assigned controls, matched by hospital size, population, and proportion of patients receiving ITEOL at baseline.

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Key information

Conditions

Palliative Care Disclosure

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Umeå University, Dept of radiation sciences

Umeå, SE-901 87, Sweden

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Hospitals and municipalities: Participation in the Swedish Register of Palliative Care.
Patients: Reported from an included hospital or municipality during six months before to six months after intervention.

Exclusion criteria

Hospitals and municipalities: Exclusion criteria were more than 40% patients receiving ITEOL at start of study, too large for an intervention due to practical reasons (university hospitals or municipalities with over 100 000 inhabitants), and hospitals not containing both internal medicine and surgery departments.
Patients were excluded when death was unexpected, when a forensic post mortem examination was performed, or when the patients had lost their ability to express their will and take part in decisions concerning the content of medical care one week or more before death.

Treatment and study plan

Educative intervention

Other

Two municipalities (in charge of nursing homes) and two hospitals were randomized to receive an interactive half-day course about ITEOL for physicians and nurses.

Primary outcomes

The proportion of patients who received ITEOL

Time frame: Six months after intervention

The proportion of patients who received ITEOL was measured with data from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC). Six months after the intervention data were collected from the SRPC for all patients who had died at the included hospitals and municipalities. Data were collected from six months before the intervention to six months after the intervention. The outcome was compared before and after the intervention.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Umeå University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Increasing the Number of Patients Receiving Information About Transition to End-of-life Care: the Effect of a Half-day Physician and Nurse Training

Important dates

Study start: 2011
Primary completion: 2012
Study completion: 2012
First posted: Mar 19, 2014
Registry last updated: Mar 19, 2014

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.

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