Clinical trial · Interventional
Improving Communication About Serious Illness
Health System Intervention to Improve Communication About End-of-Life Care for Vulnerable Patients
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The purpose of this study is to improve care delivered to patients with serious illness by enhancing communication among patients, families, and clinicians in the outpatient setting. We are testing a new way to help patients share their preferences for talking about end-of-life care with their clinicians and families. To do this we created a simple, short feedback form. The form is designed to help clinicians understand what patients would like to talk about. The goal of this research study is to show that using a feedback form is possible and can be helpful for patients and their families.
Conditions
Conditions (12)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Care Planning | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Chronic Disease | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Communication | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Critical Illness | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| End Stage Liver Disease | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Heart Failure | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Kidney Failure, Chronic | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Lung Neoplasms | Lung Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
| Neoplasm Metastasis | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Feedback Form for Patients with Serious Illness | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Feedback Group
- description
- Subjects will complete surveys and assessments and will be given the Communication Feedback Form for Patients with Serious Illness to use prior to and during a target outpatient visit.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Communication Feedback Form for Patients with Serious Illness
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Comparison/Usual Care Group
- description
- Subjects will only complete surveys and assessments.
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Occurrence of Discussion About Goals of Care at Target Visit
- timeFrame
- 2 weeks after target visit
- description
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Eligible primary clinicians will include all clinicians who provide ongoing primary or specialty care to eligible patient populations. This will include primary care physicians (family medicine and internal medicine), oncologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, neurologists, hepatologists, and geriatricians. Primary clinicians may also include nurse practitioners and physician assistants playing a "primary role" with eligible patients. A "primary role" denotes any clinician for whom having a discussion about end-of-life care with eligible patients would be indicated * Eligible interprofessional team members will include nurses, social workers and other clinicians who are part of an enrolled primary clinician's clinic team. * Eligible patients will be those under the care of a participating clinician who are 18 years of age or older, have had 2 or more visits with the primary clinician in the last 18 months, and meet diagnostic criteria. Diagnostic criteria include: 1) metastatic cancer or inoperable lung cancer; 2) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with FEV1 values \<35% predicted or oxygen dependence or restrictive lung disease with a TLC \< 50% predicted; 3) New York Heart Association Class III or IV heart failure; 4) Child's Class C cirrhosis or MELD score of \>17; 5) dialysis-dependent renal failure and either diabetes or a serum albumin of \< 2.5; or, 6) older than 75 years with at least one life-limiting chronic illness or older than 90 years. Additional criteria include: PAH w. 6MWD \<250m, restrictive lung disease (IPF, ILD) w/ TLC \<50%, and cystic fibrosis with FEV1 \< 30%. Eligible patients will also be English-speaking and have no significant dementia or cognitive impairment that would limit his/her ability to complete questionnaires. * Eligible family members will be identified by the patient, with the criterion that the patient would want the family member involved in medical decision-making for the patient if he/she was not able. For the purpose of this study, "family member" is not confined to legal next-of-kin or immediate family member. Any family member, friend, or caregiver is eligible who is English-speaking and has no dementia or delirium limiting his/her ability to complete questionnaires. Exclusion Criteria: * Reasons for exclusion for all subject groups include: legal or risk management concerns; and physical or mental limitations preventing ability to complete research activities.
References
Publications (9)
- BACKGROUNDAu DH, Udris EM, Engelberg RA, Diehr PH, Bryson CL, Reinke LF, Curtis JR. A randomized trial to improve communication about end-of-life care among patients with COPD. Chest. 2012 Mar;141(3):726-735. doi: 10.1378/chest.11-0362. Epub 2011 Sep 22. PMID 21940765
- BACKGROUNDKnauft E, Nielsen EL, Engelberg RA, Patrick DL, Curtis JR. Barriers and facilitators to end-of-life care communication for patients with COPD. Chest. 2005 Jun;127(6):2188-96. doi: 10.1378/chest.127.6.2188. PMID 15947336
- BACKGROUNDCurtis JR, Patrick DL. Barriers to communication about end-of-life care in AIDS patients. J Gen Intern Med. 1997 Dec;12(12):736-41. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.07158.x. PMID 9436892
- BACKGROUNDCurtis JR, Engelberg RA, Nielsen EL, Au DH, Patrick DL. Patient-physician communication about end-of-life care for patients with severe COPD. Eur Respir J. 2004 Aug;24(2):200-5. doi: 10.1183/09031936.04.00010104. PMID 15332385
- BACKGROUNDEngelberg R, Downey L, Curtis JR. Psychometric characteristics of a quality of communication questionnaire assessing communication about end-of-life care. J Palliat Med. 2006 Oct;9(5):1086-98. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2006.9.1086. PMID 17040146
- BACKGROUNDCurtis JR, Wenrich MD, Carline JD, Shannon SE, Ambrozy DM, Ramsey PG. Patients' perspectives on physician skill in end-of-life care: differences between patients with COPD, cancer, and AIDS. Chest. 2002 Jul;122(1):356-62. doi: 10.1378/chest.122.1.356. PMID 12114382
- DERIVEDCoats H, Downey L, Sharma RK, Curtis JR, Engelberg RA. Quality of Communication and Trust in Patients With Serious Illness: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships of Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Religiosity. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018 Oct;56(4):530-540.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.07.005. Epub 2018 Jul 17.