Clinical trial NCT03508557: Implementing Advance Care Planning Conversation Tools in Family Practice
Official title: Implementing Advance Care Planning Conversation Tools in Family Practice
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Frail Elderly Syndrome
Chronic Disease
Lead sponsor: McMaster University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Canadian Frailty Network
First posted: 2018-04-25
Enrollment: 80
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: Single group before-after
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief 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.

Detailed 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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Advance care planning engagement
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Advance care planning engagement-substitute decision maker
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Patient experience
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Patient perceived impact on health care
timeFrame: 6-9 months
Other outcomes:
measure: Clinician experience of intervention
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Clinician confidence having advance care planning conversations
timeFrame: 6 months
Locations:
city: Calgary
country: Canada
facility: Sunridge Family Medicine Teaching Centre
state: Alberta
city: Langley
country: Canada
facility: Safa Medical Clinic
state: British Columbia
city: Vancouver
country: Canada
facility: New Westminster Family Practice
state: British Columbia
city: Vancouver
country: Canada
facility: Vancouver General Hospital Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
state: British Columbia
Study officials:
affiliation: McMaster University
name: Michelle Howard, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: