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Understanding Factors in Decision Making for Children with Medical Complexity

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Multiple Chronic Conditions
Children with Medical Complexity
Interventions
Behavioral: Ambiguity
Behavioral: Narrative
Behavioral: Complexity
Behavioral: Normalizing language
Registration Number
NCT05913206
Lead Sponsor
University of Utah
Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare different strategies to communicate around potential risks and benefits related to treatment decision making in parents/adult caregivers of children with medical complexity. The objective of this study is to identify the most effective ways to communicate decision-related risks and benefits to improve the quality of caregiver decision making for children with medical complexity.

Participants will view a video of a simulated clinic visit and related medical information and complete a survey about their experiences. Researchers will compare participant survey responses to see if decision quality changes based on the information reviewed by the participant.

Detailed Description

Children with medical complexity, their caregivers, and their providers face a multitude of complex, high stakes medical decisions throughout their lifetime. Best practices for the provision of high quality shared decision making in the care of children with medical complexity do not exist. Unique challenges to support decision making for caregivers of children with medical complexity include communication of decision-related risks and benefits and knowledge related to the decision. This study will test the efficacy of various communication techniques in the setting of a simulated patient encounter.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
826
Inclusion Criteria
  • Adult caregiver of a child with medical complexity
  • English- or Spanish-speaking
Exclusion Criteria
  • Child is diagnosed with neuromuscular scoliosis but has not yet made a decision about whether to undergo spinal fusion.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
FACTORIAL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing onlyComplexityReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity and complexity onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity and complexity related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity and normalizing onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about ambiguity and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Complexity onlyComplexityReceive information about complexity related to the clinical decision.
Narratives onlyNarrativeReceive narratives in addition to the control condition.
Ambiguity and narratives onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity and normalizing onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Complexity and normalizing onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about complexity and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, complexity, and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
AllComplexityReceive all new communication approaches
AllNormalizing languageReceive all new communication approaches
Normalizing and narratives onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about normalizing language and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity and complexity onlyComplexityReceive information about ambiguity and complexity related to the clinical decision.
Complexity and normalizing onlyComplexityReceive information about complexity and normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, complexity, and narratives onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, complexity, and narratives onlyComplexityReceive information about ambiguity, complexity, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Complexity, normalizing, and narratives onlyComplexityReceive information about complexity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Normalizing onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about normalizing language related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, normalizing, and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about ambiguity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about ambiguity and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, normalizing, and narratives onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about ambiguity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Complexity and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about complexity and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Ambiguity, normalizing, and narratives onlyAmbiguityReceive information about ambiguity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
AllAmbiguityReceive all new communication approaches
AllNarrativeReceive all new communication approaches
Complexity and narratives onlyComplexityReceive information about complexity and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Complexity, normalizing, and narratives onlyNormalizing languageReceive information about complexity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Complexity, normalizing, and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about complexity, normalizing language, and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Normalizing and narratives onlyNarrativeReceive information about normalizing language and narratives related to the clinical decision.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Decision readinessImmediately after reviewing the intervention

Differences in decision readiness between arms as measured by the validated PrepDM survey measure. The PrepDM is a 10-item (1 to 5 scale) validated survey measure that evaluates a patient's perceived readiness to make a decision with their healthcare provider. The composite score is a mean of all items converted to a scale of 0-100 with higher scores indicating greater decision readiness. PrepDM is widely used to evaluate the effectiveness of decision aids.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Decision intent for treatmentImmediately after reviewing the intervention

Proportion of participants selecting surgery between the arms.

KnowledgeImmediately after reviewing the intervention

Difference in mean score of total knowledge questions answered correctly between arms. The score will be calculated from 5 knowledge questions.

Decisional Conflict ScaleImmediately after reviewing the intervention

Difference in decisional conflict score between arms. The decisional conflict scale is a 16-item (1-5 scale) validated survey measure that evaluates a participant's decisional conflict about a decision that is made and includes five subdomains (uncertainty, informed, values clarity, support, and effective decision). Total and subdomain scores are calculated using a mean composite score and transformed to a scale of 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating higher decisional conflict.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

🇺🇸

Los Angeles, California, United States

University of Utah

🇺🇸

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

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