Effect of Default Options in Advance Directives on Hospital-Free Days and Care Choices Among Seriously Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

There is limited evidence regarding how patients make choices in advance directives (ADs) or whether these choices influence subsequent care.

Objective

To examine whether default options in ADs influence care choices and clinical outcomes.

Design, setting, and participants

This randomized clinical trial included 515 patients who met criteria for having serious illness and agreed to participate. Patients were enrolled at 20 outpatient clinics affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from February 2014 to April 2016 and had a median follow-up of 18 months. Data analysis was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019.

Interventions

Patients were randomly assigned to complete 1 of the 3

SUBMITTER: Halpern SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7315782 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature