Description
The majority of patients aged 65 or over, and patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), have never communicated their preferences to clinicians or completed advance care planning (ACP) documents. The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) acutely escalated the importance of integrating ACP and palliative care services into medical care. We aimed to improve ACP with an ACP Educator who promote ACP conversations with certified video decision aids in a model of care that is practical, scalable, and evidence-based, has the potential to mitigate communication barriers related to health literacy and limited English proficiency, and has the potential to improve the quality of medical care delivery to millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Principal Investigators
Funding
- May 2021 – April 2022
- National Institute on Aging
Publications
- Video Intervention and Goals-of-Care Documentation in Hospitalized Older Adults: The VIDEO-PCE Randomized Clinical Trial
- Study Protocol for Video Images and Decision to Improve Ethical Outcomes with Palliative Care Educators (VIDEO-PCD): A Pragmatic Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial of Older Patients Admitted to the Hospital
Description
We collaborated with the Black Ministerial Alliance TenPoint (BMATP) of Greater Boston to develop a smartphone-based Embodied Conversational Agent app that provides education about SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccination, and motivates vaccination completion, following public health guidelines. We evaluated the intervention in a clinical trial involving 600 congregants from 12 predominately African American churches.
Principal Investigators
- Timothy Bickmore, Northeastern University
- Michael Paasche-Orlow, Tufts Medical Center
- Andrea Parker, Northeastern University
Funding
- April 2021 – January 2023
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Testing a Medical Risk Communication and Surveillance Strategy: The EMC2Trial
Description
Nearly 10 million outpatient physician visits and 4 million emergency department admissions occur each year because of adverse drug events or serious drug side effects. A risk communication and surveillance strategy is needed in primary care to ensure that patients are adequately informed about medication risks and are taking high-risk drugs safely. In response, we assessed the effectiveness and fidelity of a primary-care based, technology-enabled strategy to improve patient-provider communication about drug risks, and to promote patient understanding and safe use.
Principal Investigators
Funding
- August 2015 – May 2017
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Publications