Using Videos to Improve Understanding of the Delivery of End-of-life Medical Care in Non-hospital Settings

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Elderly

Treatments: Other: video decision aid

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01233973

2010-P-000180

Details and patient eligibility

About

To compare the decision making of elderly subjects having a verbal advance care planning discussion compared to subjects using a video.

Full description

A.1. Aim 1: To recruit 101 subjects over the age of 64 who are newly admitted to a nursing home facility and randomly assign these subjects to one of two advance care planning (ACP) modalities: 1. a video visually depicting the Goals of Care (Life Prolonging Care, Limited Care, and Comfort Care) (intervention) or 2. a verbal narrative describing the Goals of Care (control) encountered if the subject becomes very ill.

Hypothesis 1: It is feasible to recruit and randomize newly admitted elderly subjects to each of the ACP modalities.

A.2. Aim 2: To compare the care preferences for their primary goal of care (i.e., life-prolonging care, limited care, or comfort care) among 101 subjects randomized to video vs. verbal narrative intervention for ACP.

Hypothesis 2: Subjects randomized to the video intervention will be significantly more likely to opt for comfort care (vs. life-prolonging or limited care) as the primary goal of care compared to those randomized to the verbal narrative.

A.3. Aim 3: To compare knowledge assessment of the Goals of Care of 101 subjects randomized to video vs. verbal narrative intervention for ACP.

Hypothesis 3: When compared to subjects randomized to the verbal narrative arm, subjects in the video group will have higher knowledge assessment scores when asked questions regarding their understanding of the Goals of Care.

Enrollment: 101 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• over age of 64
• have decision making capacity

Exclusion criteria

• do not speak English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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101 participants in 2 patient groups

control subjects

No Intervention group

Description:

verbal narrative of advance care planning

intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

video decision aid viewed by subjects

Treatment:

Other: video decision aid