CompletedNot Applicable

Nurse Coach-Led Early Palliative Care for Older Adults With COPD and Their Care Partners: The Project EPIC Pilot RCT

United States50 participantsStarted 2022-05-19

Plain-language summary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in older Americans. COPD increases in frequency with age, and older adults with COPD often have significant unmet geriatrics-palliative care needs that results in reduced quality of life, high healthcare utilization, and care at the end of life that does not align with the values and wishes of patients and their care partners. Older adults with COPD could benefit from proactive geriatrics-palliative care before the end of life. However, no geriatrics-palliative care interventions have been systematically developed and tested in community-dwelling older adults with COPD and their care partners. As the number of older adults with COPD increases to levels unmatched by current palliative care workforce trends, innovative strategies are desperately needed to improve the delivery of geriatrics-palliative care in COPD before the end of life. Project EPIC (Empowering People to Independence in COPD) is a multiphase study to refine and pilot test the EPIC telephonic nurse coaching intervention in older adults with COPD and their care partners. EPIC is informed by the ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise Before Life Ends) early palliative care intervention that improved quality of life and mood for patients with advanced cancer and has been iteratively refined over decades and rigorous randomized controlled trial testing. In the intervention, palliative care-trained nurse coaches deliver the Charting Your Course Curriculum over the phone to patients (six sessions) and their care partners (four sessions), with activities and monthly telephone follow-up following a manualized curriculum. We conducted a formative evaluation in a diverse and multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to refine ENABLE for patients with COPD and pilot tested the potential feasibility of the refined intervention, EPIC, in patients and their care partners. The current study summatively evaluates EPIC through a hybrid effectiveness-implementation pilot randomized controlled trial in dyads of community-dwelling older adults with moderate to very severe COPD and their care partners randomized to usual care (control) versus EPIC (intervention). The primary outcomes are intervention feasibility and acceptability. Secondary outcomes include Life-Space mobility, quality of life, cognitive impairment, functional status, palliative care uptake, and care partner burden.

Who can participate

Age range

18 Years

Sex

ALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion criteria

. ≥60 years;
. COPD on routinely collected spirometry (FEV1/FVC \<0.70 + FEV1\<80%);
. Able to speak English;
. At least one of the following:

Exclusion criteria

. No access to a dedicated telephone service;
. Recent hospitalization for any reason or exacerbation of COPD in the past 30 days or ongoing exacerbation symptoms requiring treatment with antibiotics and steroids;
. Treated within the past 60 days for an advanced cancer defined as metastatic and/or recurrent/progressive stage III/IV cancer, including brain, lung, breast, gynecologic, head and neck, gastrointestinal, genitourinary cancer, and hematologic malignancies by self report or chart review;

Questions worth asking your doctor

Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.

1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?

Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.

Questions for the trial coordinator

The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.

1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?

A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.

What they're measuring

Intervention Feasibility

Timeframe: 6 months

Survey Feasibility

Timeframe: 6 months

Intervention Acceptability Score

Timeframe: 6 months

Count of Acceptability Qualitative Interviews

Timeframe: 6 months

Trial details

NCT IDNCT05040386

SponsorUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2024-10-25

Results submitted2025-10-08

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More COPD trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

Age range

18 Years

Sex

ALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion criteria

. ≥60 years;
. COPD on routinely collected spirometry (FEV1/FVC \<0.70 + FEV1\<80%);
. Able to speak English;
. At least one of the following:

Exclusion criteria

. No access to a dedicated telephone service;
. Recent hospitalization for any reason or exacerbation of COPD in the past 30 days or ongoing exacerbation symptoms requiring treatment with antibiotics and steroids;
. Treated within the past 60 days for an advanced cancer defined as metastatic and/or recurrent/progressive stage III/IV cancer, including brain, lung, breast, gynecologic, head and neck, gastrointestinal, genitourinary cancer, and hematologic malignancies by self report or chart review;