Joanna Paladino1,2,3, Rachelle Bernacki1,2,3,4, Bridget A Neville2, Jane Kavanagh2,4, Stephen P Miranda2,5,6, Marissa Palmor1, Joshua Lakin1,3,4, Meghna Desai2, Daniela Lamas1,2,3, Justin J Sanders1,2,3,4, Jonathon Gass2, Natalie Henrich2, Stuart Lipsitz2, Erik Fromme1,2,3,4, Atul A Gawande1,2, Susan D Block1,2,3,4,7. 1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 2. Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 3. Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. 5. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 6. Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 7. Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Earlier clinician-patient conversations about patients' values, goals, and preferences in serious illness (ie, serious illness conversations) are associated with better outcomes but occur inconsistently in cancer care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a communication quality-improvement intervention in improving the occurrence, timing, quality, and accessibility of documented serious illness conversations between oncology clinicians and patients with advanced cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: This cluster randomized clinical trial in outpatient oncology was conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and included physicians, advanced-practice clinicians, and patients with cancer who were at high risk of death. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes (goal-concordant care and peacefulness at the end of life) are published elsewhere. Secondary outcomes are reported herein, including (1) documentation of at least 1 serious illness conversation before death, (2) timing of the initial conversation before death, (3) quality of conversations, and (4) their accessibility in the electronic medical record (EMR). RESULTS: We enrolled 91 clinicians (48 intervention, 43 control) and 278 patients (134 intervention, 144 control). Of enrolled patients, 58% died during the study (n=161); mean age was 62.3 years (95% CI, 58.9-65.6 years); 55% were women (n=88). These patients were cared for by 76 of the 91 enrolled clinicians (37 intervention, 39 control); years in practice, 11.5 (95% CI, 9.2-13.8); 57% female (n=43). Medical record review after patients' death demonstrated that a significantly higher proportion of intervention patients had a documented discussion compared with controls (96% vs 79%, P = .005) and intervention conversations occurred a median of 2.4 months earlier (median, 143 days vs 71 days, P < .001). Conversation documentation for intervention patients was significantly more comprehensive and patient centered, with a greater focus on values or goals (89% vs 44%, P < .001), prognosis or illness understanding (91% vs 48%, P < .001), and life-sustaining treatment preferences (63% vs 32%, P = .004). Documentation about end-of-life care planning did not differ between arms (80% intervention vs 68% control, P = .08). Significantly more intervention patients had documentation that was accessible in the EMR (61% vs 11%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This communication quality-improvement intervention resulted in more, earlier, better, and more accessible serious illness conversations documented in the EMR. To our knowledge, this is the first such study to demonstrate improvement in all 4 of these outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01786811.
IMPORTANCE: Earlier clinician-patient conversations about patients' values, goals, and preferences in serious illness (ie, serious illness conversations) are associated with better outcomes but occur inconsistently in cancer care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a communication quality-improvement intervention in improving the occurrence, timing, quality, and accessibility of documented serious illness conversations between oncology clinicians and patients with advanced cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: This cluster randomized clinical trial in outpatient oncology was conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and included physicians, advanced-practice clinicians, and patients with cancer who were at high risk of death. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes (goal-concordant care and peacefulness at the end of life) are published elsewhere. Secondary outcomes are reported herein, including (1) documentation of at least 1 serious illness conversation before death, (2) timing of the initial conversation before death, (3) quality of conversations, and (4) their accessibility in the electronic medical record (EMR). RESULTS: We enrolled 91 clinicians (48 intervention, 43 control) and 278 patients (134 intervention, 144 control). Of enrolled patients, 58% died during the study (n=161); mean age was 62.3 years (95% CI, 58.9-65.6 years); 55% were women (n=88). These patients were cared for by 76 of the 91 enrolled clinicians (37 intervention, 39 control); years in practice, 11.5 (95% CI, 9.2-13.8); 57% female (n=43). Medical record review after patients' death demonstrated that a significantly higher proportion of intervention patients had a documented discussion compared with controls (96% vs 79%, P = .005) and intervention conversations occurred a median of 2.4 months earlier (median, 143 days vs 71 days, P < .001). Conversation documentation for intervention patients was significantly more comprehensive and patient centered, with a greater focus on values or goals (89% vs 44%, P < .001), prognosis or illness understanding (91% vs 48%, P < .001), and life-sustaining treatment preferences (63% vs 32%, P = .004). Documentation about end-of-life care planning did not differ between arms (80% intervention vs 68% control, P = .08). Significantly more intervention patients had documentation that was accessible in the EMR (61% vs 11%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This communication quality-improvement intervention resulted in more, earlier, better, and more accessible serious illness conversations documented in the EMR. To our knowledge, this is the first such study to demonstrate improvement in all 4 of these outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01786811.
Authors: Paul R Duberstein; Paul K Maciejewski; Ronald M Epstein; Joshua J Fenton; Benjamin Chapman; Sally A Norton; Michael Hoerger; Marsha N Wittink; Daniel J Tancredi; Guibo Xing; Supriya Mohile; Richard L Kravitz; Holly G Prigerson Journal: J Palliat Med Date: 2019-06-25 Impact factor: 2.947
Authors: Christopher R Manz; Ravi B Parikh; Chalanda N Evans; Corey Chivers; Susan H Regli; Justin E Bekelman; Dylan Small; Charles A L Rareshide; Nina O'Connor; Lynn M Schuchter; Lawrence N Shulman; Mitesh S Patel Journal: Contemp Clin Trials Date: 2020-01-23 Impact factor: 2.226
Authors: Rachelle Bernacki; Joanna Paladino; Bridget A Neville; Mathilde Hutchings; Jane Kavanagh; Olaf P Geerse; Joshua Lakin; Justin J Sanders; Kate Miller; Stuart Lipsitz; Atul A Gawande; Susan D Block Journal: JAMA Intern Med Date: 2019-06-01 Impact factor: 21.873
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