The National Academy of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have called for urgent action to improve the care delivered to the nearly 1,000,000 older Americans who die in intensive care units (ICUs) annually, or survive with substantial impairments. These patients often die with distressing symptoms and may receive more invasive, life-prolonging treatment than they would choose for themselves. Moreover, their family members acting as surrogate decision makers often experience lasting psychological distress from the ICU experience. The investigators will conduct a randomized trial among 500 patients and 750 surrogates and up to 150 clinicians to determine whether early integration of specialty palliative care with standard critical care can improve outcomes for critically ill older patients at high risk of death or severe functional impairments and their family members.
Critical Illness
The National Academy of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have called for urgent action to improve the care delivered to the nearly 1,000,000 older Americans who die in intensive care units (ICUs) annually, or survive with substantial impairments. These patients often die with distressing symptoms and may receive more invasive, life-prolonging treatment than they would choose for themselves. Moreover, their family members acting as surrogate decision makers often experience lasting psychological distress from the ICU experience. The investigators will conduct a randomized trial among 500 patients and 750 surrogates and up to 150 clinicians to determine whether early integration of specialty palliative care with standard critical care can improve outcomes for critically ill older patients at high risk of death or severe functional impairments and their family members.
Integrated Supportive and Palliative Care for Older Adults in the ICU
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University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
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60 Years to
ALL
No
University of Pittsburgh,
Douglas B White, MD, MAS, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Pittsburgh
Yael Schenker, MD, MAS, FAAHPM, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Pittsburgh
2026-05