Advance Care Planning in the Emergency Department
This is a two-armed, parallel-design, pre-/post-intervention assessment study. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial for ED GOAL on a cohort of 120 older adults with serious illness to collect patient-centered outcomes and determine preliminary efficacy on increasing advance care planning engagement (self-reported and/or in the electronic medical record) one month after leaving the emergency department. The investigators will also conduct qualitative interviews with participants of ED GOAL.
Ask AI to explain this studyKey things to know
This describes the study’s primary purpose.
The study team can explain what participation involves.
These are broad labels—not an eligibility decision.
Checked against the public recordLast updated Mar 13, 2026 · Source: ClinicalTrials.gov
Ask the study team to confirm whether enrollment is open.
Interventional
Locations may change over time.
Study sponsor
What this study is about
- Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Sponsor
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Interventions being studied
- Behavioral: ED GOAL
How this study is categorized
These labels come from structured fields and exact terms in the public record.
Who may be able to participate
The sponsor separates these requirements into two groups. You do not need to interpret them alone—use them to guide a conversation with the study team.
- 1. ≥50 years of age AND ≥1 Serious illness\
- OR ED clinician would not be surprised if patient died in the next 12 months (a validated prognostic sign) 2. English-speaking 3. Capacity to consent 1. Patient with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia with capacity to consent (requires a caregiver/study partner to enroll) 2. Caregiver of patient with moderate/severe dementia with capacity to consent (\*) NYHA Stage III/IV congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease on home oxygen, chronic kidney disease on dialysis, or metastatic solid tumor cancer. In addition, patients with NYHA Stage I/II congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease not on home oxygen, chronic kidney disease not on dialysis will be included if recent hospitalization in the last 12 months exists.
- 1. Acute physical or emotional distress 2. Determined by treating or study clinician not to be appropriate 3. Clearly documented goals for medical care\*\
- (Unless the treating or study clinician recommends that the intervention is clinically indicated) 4. Delirium (assessed using 3D-CAM) 5. Already enrolled in this study 6. Unable/unwilling to schedule the follow-ups on the calendar 7. Receive both the outpatient care for serious illness and primary care outside of the Mass General Brigham health system (\*\*)e.g., MOLST, medical order for life-sustaining treatment, documented serious illness conversations in clinician notes within the last 3 months, etc.
Important: This is the sponsor’s public criteria, not a determination of eligibility. The study team must review your individual situation.
U.S. locations
- Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts
Source and freshness
Processed from ClinicalTrials.gov. Last public update: Mar 13, 2026. Always confirm current availability with the study team.