The Chit-Chat Educational Intervention to Promote Advance Care Planning in the Community

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Family Members; Old Age

Treatments: Other: Chit-Chat

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06296719

ACP Community 2024

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect size of the Chit-Chat intervention on ACP engagement among family members of older adults with multi-morbidity.

Full description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all eligible participants will be asked to provide written informed consent for study entry. At week 0, participants will be randomized in an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial in a 1:1 ratio to received the Chit-Chat intervention (two 2-hr weekly educational sessions) or wait-list control group.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age 18 or above;
• a family member of a relative who aged 60 or above and lives with at least two severe chronic diseases such as cancer, dementia, lung, heart, liver, and renal disease.
• they perceived themselves will take part in taking care of their relatives in the near future;
• able to read and communicate in Cantonese.
• they are self-reported as cognitively intact

Exclusion criteria

• their relatives have been referred to palliative care service before the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Chit-Chat

Experimental group

Description:

The Chit-Chat intervention, covering five areas, including (1) Serious illness in older adults, (2) Realities of caring and dying from a carer's perspective, (3) Introduction to the importance of advance care planning for individuals and communities, (4) Effective communication between older adults, family members, and healthcare professionals in ACP conversations (i.e. listening to the wishes and preferences of older adults regarding their needs), and (5) audience participation and clarification including questions, answers and concerns.

Treatment:

Other: Chit-Chat

Waitlist Control

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention