Implementing Advance Care Planning Conversation Tools in Family Practice

Chronic Disease Clinical Trial

Official title:

Implementing Advance Care Planning Conversation Tools in Family Practice

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03508557
• Other study ID #: TG2015-03D
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 1, 2018
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: January 2022
• Source: McMaster University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study evaluates the use of advance care planning conversation tools with patients attending their family doctor's office. Patients complete tools about their values and wishes, and a health care provider uses a structured discussion tool to talk about the patient's health condition and future wishes. The patient's family member/substitute decision-maker is encouraged to attend and be part of the discussions.

Description:

Structured tools are helpful for advance care planning. Tools have been developed to help with advance care planning because it is a process which has multiple steps and people involved. This study will help health care teams in primary care learn to use the tools with frail or older seriously ill patients and will evaluate the perceptions of patients, family members and health care providers, as well as the impact of having the discussions on subsequent health care interactions the patient has.

Patients complete tools about their values and wishes, and a health care provider uses a structured discussion tool to talk about the patient's health condition and future wishes. The patient's family member/substitute decision-maker is encouraged to attend and be part of the discussions.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 80
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 60 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 60 or older

• chronic condition that may reduce life expectancy as per physician's clinical judgement

• able to communicate verbally in English and read English

Exclusion Criteria:

• unable to communicate verbally in English

• unable to read English

• cognitively unable to give informed consent (e.g. memory problems) as judged by referring physician or research assistant

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Chronic Disease
• Frail Elderly Syndrome

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Advance care planning tools
Structured conversations between patients/substitute decision-maker and clinician based on education about advance care planning using locally relevant booklet/website, values clarification tool for patient engagement, clinician use of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	Sunridge Family Medicine Teaching Centre	Calgary	Alberta
Canada	Safa Medical Clinic	Langley	British Columbia
Canada	New Westminster Family Practice	Vancouver	British Columbia
Canada	Vancouver General Hospital Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre	Vancouver	British Columbia

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
McMaster University	Canadian Frailty Network

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Clinician experience of intervention	survey of clinician experience using conversation tools	6 months
Other	Clinician confidence having advance care planning conversations	survey of clinician confidence, satisfaction	6 months
Primary	Advance care planning engagement	Survey measuring domains of engagement in advance care planning	12 weeks
Secondary	Advance care planning engagement-substitute decision maker	survey measuring substitute decision maker domains of engagement in advance care planning	12 weeks
Secondary	Patient experience	survey of patient experience with intervention	12 weeks
Secondary	Patient perceived impact on health care	qualitative interviews of patients asking perceived impact of intervention on later health care use	6-9 months