MedPath

Chronic Kidney Disease-Education (CKD-EDU)

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Chronic Kidney Diseases
Interventions
Behavioral: CKD-EDU
Behavioral: Usual Care
Registration Number
NCT06410144
Lead Sponsor
University of Rochester
Brief Summary

The investigators are conducting a study to see which program better helps older patients with kidney disease choose their treatment. Investigators are also investigating if either program can reduce the number of hospital or emergency room visits in the first 6 months of the study, as well as potentially improve end-of-life care for older adults.

Half of the participants will receive Program A, while the other half will receive Program B. Investigators will compare the two groups to see which participants feel better prepared about their kidney therapy decisions, experience improved end-of-life care, and have fewer emergency room visits and hospital admissions.

Participants in Program A will receive information from the National Kidney Foundation and meet with a kidney therapy educator. Participants in Program B will get information about kidney disease treatment and meet with a decision-support specialist who's an expert in decision-making.

Detailed Description

Older adults ≥75 years represent the fastest-growing population to initiate dialysis in the US; despite the life-altering effects of dialysis on quality of life, dialysis is often presented as a default without considering patient preferences, prognosis, and alternative options such as conservative kidney management. This study will test the first palliative care intervention for older patients with advanced chronic kidney disease to improve the kidney therapy decision-making process. This research not only has the potential to help thousands of older patients with advanced chronic kidney disease who often have unanswered questions, unmet information needs, and restricted opportunities to share personal treatment preferences with their nephrologists but also has the possibility of creating new models of collaborative care by integrating palliative care into routine nephrology care.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
326
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age ≥ 75 years old
  • Has advanced kidney disease with kidney function less than 30%
  • Speaks English
  • Has not yet made a dialysis decision
Exclusion Criteria
  • Has already decided on dialysis or active medical care without dialysis.
  • Has already been seen by a Palliative Care (PC) clinician for kidney-related issues or is enrolled in hospice
  • Currently on dialysis
  • Unable to provide informed consent or complete verbally administered surveys due to health, sensory, or cognitive impairment.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
CKD-EDU Intervention armCKD-EDUBehavioral: CKD-EDU Palliative care-based decision-support intervention for support with kidney therapy decision-making
Usual Care Control armUsual CareRoutine nephrology clinical care.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in Kidney Therapy Decision-Making Process using the Decisional Conflict Scale at 12 weeksBaseline, 4-6 weeks, and 12 weeks

Determine whether the intervention improves kidney therapy decision-making at 12 weeks by using the Decisional Conflict Scale. Score ranges from 0-100. Lower scores indicate better outcomes.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in patients' well-being at 6 months using the Burden of Kidney Disease SubscaleBase line 6 months

Determine whether the intervention improves patient well-being at 6 months using the Burden of Kidney Disease Subscale, a 4-question scale with response options ranging from 'definitely true (0)' to 'definitely false (3)'. Higher scores indicate better outcomes.

Differences in end-of-life care between intervention and control armBaseline to 6 months

Review patients' medical charts to determine whether the intervention improves end-of-life care treatment during the last 30 days of life, as measured by the rates of aggressive procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), dialysis, intubation, gastrostomy (G-tube), etc.

Changes in number of hospital admissions, intensive care admissions, and emergency room visitsBaseline, 6 months

Review electronic health records to determine whether the intervention reduces the number of hospital admissions, intensive care admissions, and emergency room visits between study entry and 6 months.

Trial Locations

Locations (5)

UR Medicine Nephrology - Strong West

🇺🇸

Brockport, New York, United States

Nephrology Clinic - Thompson Professional Building

🇺🇸

Canandaigua, New York, United States

Nephrology Clinic - St. James Medical Office Building

🇺🇸

Hornell, New York, United States

Highland Hospital

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

University of Rochester Medical Center

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

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