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Gabbard JL, Brenes GA, Callahan KE, Dharod A, Bundy R, Foley KL, Moses A, Williamson JD, Pajewski NM. Promoting serious illness conversations in primary care through telehealth among persons living with cognitive impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc 2024. [PMID: 39041185 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND serious illness conversations (SIC), particularly for persons living with cognitive impairment (PLCI), inconsistently happen in primary care. Pragmatic, scalable strategies are needed to promote SIC for PLCI. DESIGN Pragmatic, prospective single-arm pilot study that occurred between July 1, 2021 and May 30, 2022 across seven primary care practices in North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS Community-dwelling patients aged 65 and older with known or probable mild cognitive impairment or dementia (with decision-making capacity) and their care partners (if available). INTERVENTION SIC telehealth intervention (TeleVoice) via video or telephone to assist PLCI in discussing their current goals, values, and future medical preferences, while facilitating documentation within the EHR. MAIN OUTCOMES Main feasibility outcomes included reach/enrollment, intervention completion, and adoption rates at the clinic and provider level. Primary effectiveness outcomes included SIC documentation and quality within the EHR and usage of advance care planning billing (ACP) codes. RESULTS Of the 163 eligible PLCI approached, 107 (66%) enrolled (mean age 83.7 years, 68.2% female, 16.8% Black, 22% living in a geographic area of high socioeconomic disadvantage) and 81 (76%) completed the SIC telehealth intervention; 45 care partners agreed to participate (mean age 71.5 years, 80% female). Adoption at clinic level was 50%, while 75% of providers within these clinics participated. Among PLCI that completed the intervention, SIC documentation and usage of ACP billing codes was 100% and 96%, respectively, with 96% (n = 78) having high-quality SIC documentation. No significant differences were observed between telephone and video visits. CONCLUSION These findings provide preliminary evidence to support the feasibility of conducting SICs through telehealth to specifically meet the needs of community-dwelling PLCI. Further investigation of the sustainability of the intervention and its long-term impact on patient and caregiver outcomes is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Gabbard
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gretchen A Brenes
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kathryn E Callahan
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ajay Dharod
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richa Bundy
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kristie L Foley
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Adam Moses
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeff D Williamson
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nicholas M Pajewski
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
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White NM, Barnett AG, Lee XJ, Farrington A, Carter H, McPhail SM, Cardona M, Hillman K, Callaway L, Willmott L, White BP, Harvey G, Graves N, Brown C. Impact of a prospective feedback loop aimed at reducing non-beneficial treatments in older people admitted to hospital and potentially nearing the end of life. A cluster stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial. Age Ageing 2024; 53:afae115. [PMID: 38851216 PMCID: PMC11162291 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afae115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate if a prospective feedback loop that flags older patients at risk of death can reduce non-beneficial treatment at end of life. DESIGN Prospective stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial with usual care and intervention phases. SETTING Three large tertiary public hospitals in south-east Queensland, Australia. PARTICIPANTS 14 clinical teams were recruited across the three hospitals. Teams were recruited based on a consistent history of admitting patients aged 75+ years, and needed a nominated lead specialist consultant. Under the care of these teams, there were 4,268 patients (median age 84 years) who were potentially near the end of life and flagged at risk of non-beneficial treatment. INTERVENTION The intervention notified clinicians of patients under their care determined as at-risk of non-beneficial treatment. There were two notification flags: a real-time notification and an email sent to clinicians about the at-risk patients at the end of each screening day. The nudge intervention ran for 16-35 weeks across the three hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with one or more intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. The secondary outcomes examined times from patients being flagged at-risk. RESULTS There was no improvement in the primary outcome of reduced ICU admissions (mean probability difference [intervention minus usual care] = -0.01, 95% confidence interval -0.08 to 0.01). There were no differences for the times to death, discharge, or medical emergency call. There was a reduction in the probability of re-admission to hospital during the intervention phase (mean probability difference -0.08, 95% confidence interval -0.13 to -0.03). CONCLUSIONS This nudge intervention was not sufficient to reduce the trial's non-beneficial treatment outcomes in older hospital patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12619000675123 (registered 6 May 2019).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M White
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Adrian G Barnett
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Xing J Lee
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alison Farrington
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hannah Carter
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Steven M McPhail
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
- Digital Health and Informatics Directorate, Metro South Health, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Magnolia Cardona
- Bond University Evidence Based Practice Professorial Unit, Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia
- School of Population Health, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kenneth Hillman
- Simpson Centre for Health Services Research, South West Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
- Ingham Institute for Applied Medial Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Leonie Callaway
- Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lindy Willmott
- Australian Centre for Health Law Research, School of Law, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ben P White
- Australian Centre for Health Law Research, School of Law, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gillian Harvey
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
- College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Nicholas Graves
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
- Duke-NUS Postgraduate Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Christine Brown
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
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Sperling D. "They choke to death in front of your very eyes": nurses' lived experiences and perspectives on end-of-life care during COVID-19. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:35. [PMID: 38331781 PMCID: PMC10854065 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01352-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic led to an intensified fear and threat of dying, combined with dying and grieving in isolation, in turn significantly impacting nursing in end-of-life situations. The study aims (1) to understand the lived experiences of nurses who provided care to end-of-life patients during COVID-19; and (2) to explore whether providing care under such circumstances altered the perspectives of these nurses regarding end-of-life care. METHODS Applying the phenomenological-interpretive qualitative approach, 34 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted between March 2020-May 2021 with nurses from eight hospitals in Israel who were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was applied to identify major themes from the interviews. RESULTS Five main themes emerged from the analysis, including: (1) a different death; (2) difficulties in caring for the body after death; (3) the need for family at end-of-life; (4) weaker enforcement of advance care directives; and (5) prolonging the dying process. DISCUSSION During the pandemic, nurses encountered numerous cases of death and dying, while facing ethical and professional issues regarding end-of-life care. They were required to administer more aggressive care than usual and even necessary, leading to their increased moral distress. The nurses' ethical concerns were also triggered by the requirement to wrap the corpse in black garbage-like bags to prevent contagion, which they felt was abusing the dead. The findings also demonstrate how family presence at end-of-life is important for the nursing staff as well as the patient. Finally, end-of-life situations during the pandemic in Israel were managed in an individual and personal manner, rather than as a collective mission, as seen in other countries. CONCLUSIONS The study offers insights into the nurses' attitudes towards death, dying, and end-of-life care. An emphasis should be placed on the key elements that emerged in this study, to assist nurses in overcoming these difficulties during and after medical crises, to enhance end-of-life care and professionalism and decrease burnout.
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