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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01683097

Patient Understanding of End of Life Care

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

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Key information

Conditions

Advance Directives Resuscitation Orders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Saint Vincent Hospital

Worcester, Massachusetts, 01608, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age >18 years
  • Admitted to regular nursing floor

Exclusion criteria

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

Treatment and study plan

Standardized explanation

Other

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

Primary outcomes

  1. Composite score of correct responses

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

    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

Secondary outcomes

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

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

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Partners in Internal Medicine

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Assessing Patient Understanding and Factors That Govern Advanced Directives and End of Life Discussion

Important dates

Study start
2009
Primary completion
2010
Study completion
2010
First posted
Sep 11, 2012
Registry last updated
Sep 11, 2012

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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