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Behavioral Intervention

Advance Care Planning for Alzheimer's and Dementia (AD-ACP Trial)

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Christine E. Kistler, MD, MASc

Research Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

PLwD will be eligible only after confirmation of the presence of the AD/ADRD diagnosis

Be older than 18 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up 30 months

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial will test a toolkit called Dementia Advance Care Planning (AD ACP) to see if it helps people with dementia and their primary care team members have better discussions about their care preferences. The

Who is the study for?

This trial is for people living with Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia. Participants should be involved in primary care and willing to discuss their care preferences over an 18-month period. Specific eligibility criteria are not provided, but typically include factors like age, disease stage, and cognitive ability.

What is being tested?

The study compares usual care with a new approach where the primary care team receives training to better plan advanced care for patients with dementia. The goal is to see if this training improves discussions about future medical decisions between patients and caregivers.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves communication strategies rather than medications, traditional side effects are not expected. However, participants may experience emotional or psychological discomfort when discussing sensitive topics about future health decline and end-of-life preferences.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Select...

My Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis has been confirmed.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ 30 months

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~30 months

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 30 months for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Goals of Care Discussions

Secondary study objectives

Acceptability

Adoption

Appropriateness

+11 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: Intervention: Advance Care Planning TrainingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

1. Dementia-specific education: Stage-specific findings and challenges, including AD/ADRD staging, capacity assessment, symptom burden, hospice guidelines, etc - 10-minute didactics, delivered via video conferencing and via the website 2. ACP communication skills: Context-specific skills and tips on how to slow down, set the communication stage, active listening, respect for personhood and cultural norms, and common, useful language to prepare patients and families- 10-minute didactics, delivered via video conferencing and via the website 3. Clinical implementation support: Coding and billing information for ACP and ACP templates, an action plan for each team member participant, monthly ACP audit-and-feedback to participants, monthly coaching sessions, site champion, refresher sessions, and educational in-services as needed - Resources at the end of the training session, available on the website, monthly feedback reports on ACP practices, periodic coaching

Group II: Care as Usual: No TrainingActive Control1 Intervention

These primary care teams will not receive the Advance Care Planning training. Clinics randomized to the control arm will have access to voluntary, routine ACP training sessions provided by UNC HEALTH. We will provide the control clinics summary reports of their ACP practice outcomes at the end of the 18-month follow-up period, which can be used in future practice improvement efforts.

0 / 1Eligibility criteria met