Comparing Two Ways to Provide Palliative Care to Older Adults with Serious Illness

This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final.

What is the research about?

Palliative care focuses on easing suffering and improving quality of life for patients with a serious illness and their families. This type of care can include physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support.

But not all patients with a serious illness get palliative care. Going to the emergency department, or ED, can be a sign that people with serious illness need more help managing their health problem. Half of older Americans visit the ED in the last month of life.

This study is comparing two ways to give palliative care to older adults with serious illness. The first way is phone calls from a nurse case manager. The second way is in-person help at a clinic that specializes in palliative care.

Who can this research help?

Hospital and health insurance administrators can use findings from this study to learn about ways to help older adults get access to palliative care.

What is the research team doing?

The research team is working with nine EDs across the country to enroll 1,350 adults ages 65 and older who have either advanced cancer or organ failure. Patients must live at home. In addition, the team is enrolling 675 caregivers of patients in the study. The team is assigning patients and their caregivers by chance to one of two groups. Each group has equal numbers of patients with cancer or organ failure. Patients in one group get support from a nurse case manager over the phone. The case manager helps with managing illnesses, day-to-day needs, working with the medical team, and connecting patients with services in the community. Patients in the other group go to a clinic that specializes in palliative care. These patients get help with managing symptoms and stress related to their illnesses. Over six months, the team is comparing changes in patients’ and caregivers’ quality of life, healthcare use, loneliness, and grief. Caregivers also report changes in the burden they feel during this time.

The research team is working with patients, healthcare providers, and representatives from education, nursing, and social support organizations, as well as a large Medicare Advantage plan to design and conduct this study.

Research methods at a glance