Emergency Medicine Palliative Care Access

This is a two-arm, multi-site randomized controlled trial of 1,350 older adults (50+ years) with either advanced cancer (defined as metastatic solid tumor) or poor prognosis end-stage organ failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), defined as Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) \< 15 ml/min/m2 or dialysis ; or Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Stage III or higher, or oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who present to the Emergency Department (ED), along with 675 of their informal caregivers. Investigators will compare the effectiveness of two distinct palliative care models: a) nurse-led telephonic case management; and b) facilitated, outpatient specialty palliative care.

Sex

All

Minimum age

50 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients:

* English or Spanish-speaking patients ages 50 years and older
* Qualifying serious, life-limiting conditions and who are scheduled for ED discharge, observation status, or admission for two midnights or less.
* Qualifying conditions include: advanced cancer (defined as metastatic solid tumor) or poor prognosis end-stage organ failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), defined as Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) \< 15 ml/min/m2 or dialysis; or Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Stage III or higher or stage III or IV, or oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) defined as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD)
* Patients must have health insurance, reside within the geographical area, and have a working telephone.

Informal Caregivers:

* English or Spanish-speaking primary caregivers (relative or friend who has contact with the patient at least two times per week) ages 18 years and older.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients with dementia identified in the EHR, who received hospice services in the last six months, who have received 2 or more palliative care visits in the last 6 months, and those who reside in a skilled nursing or assisted living facility, or chronic care hospital.

• BACKGROUNDZhao N, Cuthel AM, Storms O, Zhang R, Yamarik RL, Hill J, Kaur R, Van Allen K, Flannery M, Chang A, Chung F, Randhawa S, Alvarez IC, Young-Brinn A, Kizzie-Gillett CL, Rosini D, Isaacs ED, Hopkins E 3rd, Chan GK, Booker-Vaughns J, Maguire M, Navarro M, Pidatala NR, Dunn P, Williams P, Galvin R, Batra R, Welsh S, Vaughan W, Bouillon-Minois JB, Grudzen CR. Advancing patient-centered research practices in a pragmatic patient-level randomized clinical trial: A thematic analysis of stakeholder engagement in Emergency Medicine Palliative Care Access (EMPallA). Res Involv Engagem. 2024 Jan 23;10(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s40900-023-00539-x. PMID 38263088
• BACKGROUNDBooker-Vaughns J, Rosini D, Batra R, Chan GK, Dunn P, Galvin R, Hopkins E 3rd, Isaacs E, Kizzie-Gillett CL, Maguire M, Navarro M, Reddy Pidatala N, Vaughan W, Welsh S, Williams P, Young-Brinn A, Van Allen K, Cuthel AM, Liddicoat Yamarik R, Flannery M, Goldfeld KS, Grudzen CR. What's in This For You? What's in This For Me?: A Win-Win Perspective of Involving Study Advisory Committee Members in Palliative Care Research. J Patient Exp. 2024 Jan 2;11:23743735231224562. doi: 10.1177/23743735231224562. eCollection 2024. PMID 38188534
• BACKGROUNDYusufov M, Adeyemi O, Flannery M, Bouillon-Minois JB, Van Allen K, Cuthel AM, Goldfeld KS, Ouchi K, Grudzen CR. Psychometric Properties of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General for Evaluating Quality of Life in Patients With Life-Limiting Illness in the Emergency Department. J Palliat Med. 2024 Jan;27(1):63-74. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0270. Epub 2023 Sep 6. PMID 37672598
• BACKGROUNDLiddicoat Yamarik R, Chiu LA, Flannery M, Van Allen K, Adeyemi O, Cuthel AM, Brody AA, Goldfeld KS, Schrag D, Grudzen CR, On Behalf Of The EMPallA Investigators. Engagement, Advance Care Planning, and Hospice Use in a Telephonic Nurse-Led Palliative Care Program for Persons Living with Advanced Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Apr 15;15(8):2310. doi: 10.3390/cancers15082310. PMID 37190238
• BACKGROUNDBrickey J, Flannery M, Cuthel A, Cho J, Grudzen CR; EMPallA Investigators. Barriers to recruitment into emergency department-initiated palliative care: a sub-study of a multi-site, randomized controlled trial. BMC Palliat Care. 2022 Feb 15;21(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12904-021-00899-9.