View clinical trials related to Goals-of-care.
Filter by:Patient-centered medical care considers a patient's values and goals for their health and well-being. Healthcare providers use this information to formulate a medical care plan that is aligned with these expectations. This shared-decision making process should occur with every medical decision, but it is especially important whenever decisions about end-of-life care are being considered. Eliciting patient preferences about resuscitation and life-support treatments in the event of life-threatening illnesses are considered to be a standard of excellent and appropriate medical care. Unfortunately, these discussions don't happen consistently and even when they do occur, are rarely ideal. The consequences can be devastating, often resulting in the delivery of unwanted medical care that can be associated with significant physical and mental suffering among patients and their families. In response to this problem, the investigators developed a novel tool to help guide these difficult conversations between healthcare providers and patients. The investigators previously tested this tool in a small group of hospitalized patients who found it acceptable and helpful. In this larger study, the investigators will compare how effective this tool is compared to usual care in ensuring hospitalized patients have their treatment preferences identified, documented and result in end-of-life care that is consistent with their preferences.
Introduction: Clinical practice guidelines recommend shared decision making (SDM) to facilitate goals-of-care discussions. This study will train clinicians about how to use a context-adapted decision aid (DA) and SDM to conduct goals-of-care discussions with the elderly. The objectives of this study are to: 1) determine if the use of the DA and SDM training program: a) increase clinicians' engagement of patients in decision making regarding their goals of care; b) increase adoption of evidence-based behaviours regarding goals-of-care decision making; and 2) identify patients' most frequent incomprehension, concerns, questions and clinicians' opportunities to improve the skills in goals-of-care decision making. Methods: This study will have three phases. Phase I (May-June 2017) will be a baseline evaluation of the current goals-of-care decision making process with elderly patients in a single ICU setting (Levis, Quebec). Phase II (July-August 2017) will be an evaluation of the goals-of-care decision making process in the same ICU using a DA. Phase III (September-December 2017) will be the delivery of an online and in-person training session about the use of the DA and about how to conduct discussions about goals-of-care. The study will then evaluate the goals-of-care decision making process after completion of the training program and using the DA. The investigators will observe and audio- or video-record all eligible elderly-intensivist dyads discussing goals of care during each phase. Two investigators will analyse the recordings using the OPTION 12 scale (measuring the extent that clinicians engage patients in SDM) and the ACCEPT quality indicators (measuring the extent to which intensivists engage in best practice goals-of-care discussions). The investigators will conduct qualitative content analysis of the video and audio records to identify patients' most frequent incomprehension, concerns, questions and clinicians' opportunities to improve the goals-of-care decision-making skills. Deliverables: This study will produce evidence regarding the impact of a context-adapted DA and training program on clinicians' adoption of SDM and other best practice behaviors regarding goals-of-care decision making with the elderly, and evidence regarding the most frequent patients' incomprehension, concerns, questions and clinicians' opportunities to improve the goals-of-care decision-making skills.
The Canadian population is aging and more people are living with advanced chronic diseases. At the end of life (EOL), the use of invasive medical treatments in hospitals is increasing and associated with worse outcomes. Advance Care Planning (ACP) may help improve care at EOL to be the way patients want it. ACP is a process where people think about the various options related to future health care decisions and they may communicate with a verbal or written plan of what care they would want in the EOL. Also, they may nominate a substitute decision maker if they become unable to speak for themselves. A national poll found that few Canadians have thought about or made an ACP. Alberta Health Services has developed two videos (Videos) to help with decision making about ACP and goals of care designations(GCD). GCD are medical orders of care that (a) serve as a communication tool for HCP to assist in rapid decision making; and (b) guide HCP and patients regarding the general intent and locations of care, and interventions that are to be provided. This study will compare ACP behaviours and GCD preferences for participants who have seen the Videos with those who have not and measure the change in those behaviours and preferences at 1, 2 and 3 months. It will also look at the impact of the Videos on health care costs and service use. Participants from five patient groups (metastatic lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gynecological cancer, renal failure, and heart failure) were selected as representative of where ACP should ideally be occurring, and where data on ACP implementation is presently most lacking, and as venues in which this research is most feasible. Collecting information about patients' ACP and GCD preferences may help improve AHS decision making tools and more generally help healthcare leaders plan ways to better engage patients in the ACP process.