A Randomized Controlled Trial of Strategies to Improve Family Members' Preparedness for Surrogate Decision-Making.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate 2 strategies for preparing family members for surrogate decision-making.

Design

A 2 × 2 factorial, randomized controlled trial testing whether: (1) comprehensive online advance care planning (ACP) is superior to basic ACP, and (2) having patients engage in ACP together with family members is superior to ACP done by patients alone.

Setting

Tertiary care centers in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Boston, Massachusetts.

Participants

Dyads of patients with advanced, severe illness (mean age 64; 46% female; 72% white) and family members who would be their surrogate decision-makers (mean age 56; 75% female; 75% white).

Interventions

Basic ACP: state-approved online advance directive plus brochure. Making Your Wishes Known (MYWK): Comprehensive

SUBMITTER: Green MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5943708 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature