Effectiveness of the HF-ACP Website Study

University Health Network, Toronto

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Advance Care Planning; Heart Failure

Treatments: Behavioral: HF-ACP Website

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03539510

HF-ACP website

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an interactive website on advance care planning for patients living with heart failure (HF-ACP website). The investigators will randomize patients to either the HF-ACP website or usual care to determine if the participants who use the HF-ACP website have higher advance care planning completion rates than participants assigned to usual care.

Full description

Advance care planning is a process that supports adults at any age or stage of health to understand and share their personal values, life goals and preferences in order to prepare for future decisions regarding medical care. Public awareness campaigns to promote ACP have been taking place for about 10 years without significant improvements in ACP completion rates. Content intended for use by the general public may be too vague for those living with a chronic illness. Framing ACP within the context of a specific disease may provide the impetus for a person to engage in ACP. The investigators believe the HF-ACP website will improve patient understanding of the life-limiting nature of HF, the ACP process and the need to plan ahead to help ensure the care they receive matches their treatment preferences.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• over the age of 18,
• a regular patient in our clinic,
• able to read and write English,
• familiar with the use and have access to a personal computer, email and the internet.

Exclusion criteria

• ineligible for participation in the trial if they do not meet the inclusion criteria described above.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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20 participants in 2 patient groups

HF-ACP Website

Experimental group

Description:

The HF-ACP website leads participants through 4 e-learning modules. Each module contains 3 core elements: (1) educational content which provides information and support to help patients complete the module (2) interactive tools for documenting their thoughts and progress and (3) motivational video clips that encourage behavior change by validating participants ambivalence, suggesting strategies to help participants complete the task and to encourage and reassure participants that they can do this.

Treatment:

Behavioral: HF-ACP Website

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

The standard of care for advance care planning at our institution is the "Speak Up" booklet and the Power of Attorney workbook from the Attorney General's Office - Ontario. Patients randomized to the Control arm will be asked to register on a separate research portal where participants will have electronic access to both of the booklets and a link to the Speak Up online Interactive workbook. There is no specific information on HF or HF treatments. Participants in the control arm will be asked to complete the ACP using the interactive workbook. Participants in the control arm will not receive any additional communication from the research team about their progress.