A Palliative Care Model Impact on Knowledge and Attitudes

Summary

This study is using a central, computer-generated simple randomization technique. Participants will be randomly assigned to groups within the constraints of ensuring balanced representation of gender, ethnicity, and race.

One-half of the patients are randomized to the decision aid video model, and one-half will serve as controls and receive a palliative care (PC) informational sheet. Sessions are designed to be consistent with PC principles of care using constructs from the Murray's transition theory including knowledge development coupled with advanced care planning (ACP)-to drive palliative care alongside curative treatment, and to support people with chronic progressive illnesses. The 2 groups will complete the demographic forms, and pre- and post-tests, at baseline and after three months. The intervention group will view the video decision aid, which takes 10 minutes, during their follow up appointment. The controls will read written information of the same content shown on the video and will complete similar questionnaires. The video opens with empathic statements regarding the situation in which patients may find themselves, including an introduction about medical decisions, and statements regarding values and spiritual beliefs and their impact on decision-making. The video translates the information into actionable medical orders using a three-goal framework: life-prolonging care, limited/blended care, and comfort care. The video describes the features of each of the goals of care and the risks and benefits of each option using visual images that illustrate the interventions. Patients will review the video using iPads and will be able to review the video again as needed. The Flesch-Kincaid ease score for the video narration is 71.6; for the "Conversation" piece, it is 65.9. These indicate that the passages require approximately a 7th or 8th grade reading level, which Flesch suggests makes them "easy to read" and "plain English," respectively.

The goal of the video intervention is to help patients express their values and health goals, while achieving their life and core values. The intervention group will view the video which includes modules to teach patients strategies for expressing their concerns and enhance their self-efficacy, helping them overcome any barriers. To enhance intervention fidelity, an ACP facilitator guide will be developed as reference for the intervention implementation. It will detail the key topics and purposes of each session of the intervention, the guiding questions, and the facilitation skills.

Aim 1: To explore the preferences of patients with neuroinflammatory diseases, PC knowledge, decisional conflict, and preparation for decision making among 50 adult (18-65 years old) patients randomly assigned to one of two PC modalities: 1. a video depicting PC goals of care (intervention group, n=25), or 2. standard usual care using PC written information (control group, n=25).

H1a: Patients randomized to the video will have higher documented preferences and fewer preferences for life-prolonging interventions (primary outcome) than the control group. The intervention group will have greater knowledge, lower decisional conflict, and greater preparation for decision making than those randomized to the control group.

Aim 2: To compare PC conversations and documentation at 3 months among patients with neuroinflammatory diseases.

H2: Patients randomized to the video will have more PC conversations and higher rates of PC documentation after 3 months.

Conditions

• Multiple Sclerosis, MS

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Palliative care video comprises the conversation and advance directives.

The palliative care video was done in a way that facilitates discussion and minimizes anxiety or any psychological risk/burden. The video is narrated by a young adult who opens with an empathic statement regarding the situation the young adult/adult patient finds themselves in. Then, there is a transition to contemplating what the future might hold and decisions about medical care and introducing the concept of ACP. There is acknowledgment that decision making is difficult, and that the presence of caregivers often helps. There is an explicit statement regarding values and spiritual beliefs and how that might impact decision making. The video then attempts to translate the preceding conversation into actionable medical orders using the most common three-goal framework that is based on the Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm: life-prolonging care, limited/blended care and comfort care.

BEHAVIORAL

Palliative care written material

Written materials about palliative care conversation and advance directives.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

  collaborator NIH

• Hunter College of City University of New York

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-02-01

Primary Completion

2026-06-01

Completion

2026-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations