Palliative Care Coaching for Family Caregivers & Patients With Rare Advanced Lung Disease

Nearly 15 million Americans and greater than 10% of West Virginia (WV) residents live with and eventually die from Rare and Advanced Lung Diseases (R-ALD), including pneumoconiosis (i.e., dust, asbestos), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Patients with R-ALD experience refractory breathlessness, depression, fatigue, and extreme worry about their family members and cost of health care. With one of the highest incidences of lung disease deaths in the nation, there is great need for home EOLPC in the rural, disadvantaged communities of WV. The proposed EOLPC intervention (FamPALcare) is based on R-ALD experts' input, national EOLPC guidelines, and the PI's published EOLPC studies with breathlessness in end-stage heart failure (HF) patients.

This project is well-aligned with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) priority specific to "Appalachian populations experiencing extreme inequities and poor access to healthcare" and the NIH PAR on palliative care for family caregivers and patients with advanced lung diseases. The PI's NIH application review, which received a positive score, stated that this project will have a high impact on improving palliative care for rural families managing lung disease and the project can be translated to other rural communities. This is an initial study of coaching home-based palliative R-ALD care in rural Appalachia. The NIH review stated using the PI's culturally sensitive approaches for R-ALD was novel for chronic lung disease. Also, addressing both family caregivers' and patients' needs was noted as innovative and increased the potential for future funding, as was the rigorous protocol for observing intervention fidelity.

This study uses a random control group comparison design to test the implementation of the FamPALcare intervention with R-ALD patients and their primary family caregiver. Specific aims are to: (1) pilot test the FamPALcare nursing care intervention with patients and family members managing home supportive EOLPC for R-ALD and (2) collect research data to report in the PI's NIH resubmission and future trials. The control patients receive standard care given through the WVU hospital and outpatient clinics, prescribed by the patient's pulmonologist, and recorded in the medical record. The FamPALcare intervention group receives all standard care plus 2 weeks of home EOLPC coaching by community nurses experienced in EOLPC. Data will be collected at baseline, month one, and month three from patients and caregivers independently. This pilot study provides testing of our research guides and procedures that will be described to enhance the NIH resubmission and will determine power needed for the future RCT design.