NCT01934413

Technology-enhanced Transitional Care for Rural Palliative Care Patients: A Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 17 (actual)
• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this pilot study is to develop and test a technology-enhanced transitional palliative care (TPC) intervention for patients and caregivers living in rural locations. The investigators hypothesize that access to palliative care will be improved, thereby improving patient and caregiver reported outcomes and decreasing the use of costly health services.

Detailed description

The purpose of the proposed research is to design and evaluate a technology enhanced transitional palliative care (TPC) intervention for patients living in rural locations. The contributions of the proposed research are expected to address the gap in palliative care services and transitions of care for rural patients. This research is significant because it addresses the challenges of three independently important health care foci - needs of rural patients, care transitions, and the evolving field of palliative care. The study will not simply address the critical barrier imposed by distance, but also extend PC practice by improving transition management for the impending dramatic increase in seriously ill and dying patients in rural areas through evolving demographic shifts. The goal of the proposed research is to advance the development of transitional care strategies for rural PC patients and caregivers, and provide evidence of new ways to support continuity of care for patients with life-limiting conditions. The study is guided by the "Transitional Care Model" or "TCM" as developed by Naylor which combines quality, cost, and satisfaction. The TCM has a solid evidence base from more than 15 years of multidisciplinary research. Unique features of the model include care that is delivered and coordinated by the same nurse across hospital and home settings 7 days per week for an average of 2 to 3 months using evidence-based protocols with a focus on long term outcomes. Core components of the model include a holistic, person/family centered approach and protocol guided care. The nurse functions as part of an interdisciplinary team with shared accountability, however, the nurse is the single "point person" across an episode of care providing the vital link from hospital to home. Inherent within the model is shared communication systems that span care settings. A randomized control trial design will be used. Community dwelling adult patients and their caregivers who receive a palliative care consult while hospitalized in the hospital will be enrolled in the study, then randomized to group membership and followed for a total of 8 weeks after hospital discharge. Following a detailed protocol for TPC, the intervention group will receive weekly video session visits (using computer software that allows audio/visual contact through the computer screen) by the study nurse. The investigators will determine the feasibility and acceptability of the TPC intervention and study methods and procedures when engaging palliative care patients and their caregivers. The investigators will compare patient and caregiver reported outcomes and determine effect size for patients receiving technology-enhanced TPC (intervention group) to patients in the control group, and they will explore the impact of the technology-enhanced TPC intervention on health care service utilization.

Conditions

• Palliative Care
• Transitional Care

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Technology-Enhanced Transitional Palliative Care	The Transitional Care intervention will be initiated within 24 hours after enrollment, and will include initial transitional care planning, daily hospital visits, crisis prevention planning by an experienced Palliative Care nurse. The intervention will continue after the patient is discharged to home or short term skilled nursing facility, and it will involve an in-person visit between 24-48 hours post discharge, weekly virtual visits via iPad and video conference technology, and additional home visits as needed. Care plans established during initial planning will be implemented and adjusted under the guidance of the palliative care nurse delivering the intervention.
OTHER	Usual Standard of Care	Usual care includes routine hospital discharge planning and usual physician care in primary and specialty outpatient clinics post hospital discharge. The PC consulting service provides consulting services in the inpatient setting. There are no standardized, intentional services provided to outpatients by the PC consulting team. Services provided to outpatients may occur sporadically as initiated by the patient. The majority of PC follow-up if any is a single phone call to the patient/caregiver. To account for the time spent and number of contacts made with the intervention group, the control group will be contacted by phone weekly by a non-nurse member of the study team not involved with the intervention, asked to relate what, if any, medically-related events occurred.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-09-01
• Primary completion: 2015-02-01
• Completion: 2015-02-01
• First posted: 2013-09-04
• Last updated: 2015-02-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States