Goals of Care Conversations Study

Launched by VA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT · Aug 10, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The aims of this study are as follows:

Aim 1. Use a clinician-level SMART in three VA health systems to determine the effectiveness of clinician and patient implementation strategies to improve the occurrence of documented goals of care conversations in Veterans with serious medical illness. Hypothesis 1 (first stage of the SMART): Compared to a low intensity clinician strategy alone, a low intensity clinician and patient strategy will lead to increased documentation of goals of care conversations. Hypothesis 2. Among those who do not respond to low intensity strategies, compared to a high...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • CLINICIANS VA primary care advance practice clinicians (MDs, APRNs, PAs) at one of the three study sites able to complete goals of care conversation notes and orders. Advance practice clinicians will be eligible for randomization if they have at least 15 eligible patients without goals of care conversation notes at the start of stage 1 (to allow participating clinicians ample opportunities to write notes) and have written fewer than 4 goals of care conversation notes in the previous 6 months (to select clinicians who need improvement), and can potentially receive the planned implementation strategies, i.e., clinicians who regularly attend the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) team meetings.
• • PATIENTS
• • Veteran enrolled in VHA health care in one of the three study sites who is a current patient of one of the eligible primary care clinicians
• • Diagnosis of cancer, heart failure, interstitial lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage renal disease, end-stage liver disease, and dementia
• • Care Assessment Need score of \> or equal to 90 using the one-year combined hospitalization/mortality variable
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • PATIENTS
• • Prisoner
• • Pregnant
• • under 18 years of age.