A randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of advance care planning on the quality of end-of-life care and communication in patients with COPD: the research protocol

INTRODUCTION: Recent research shows that advance care planning (ACP) for with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncommon and poorly out. The aim of the present study was to explore whether and to what structured ACP by a trained nurse, in collaboration with the chest improve outcomes in Dutch patients with COPD and their family. METHODS ANALYSIS: A multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial in patients who are recently discharged after an exacerbation has been designed. will be recruited from three Dutch hospitals and will be assigned to an intervention or control group, depending on the randomisation of their physician. Patients will be assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 intervention group will receive a structured ACP session by a trained primary outcomes are quality of communication about end-of-life care, anxiety and depression, quality of end-of-life care and quality of Secondary outcomes include concordance between patient's preferences for end-of-life care and received end-of-life care, and psychological bereaved family members of deceased patients. Intervention and control will be compared using univariate analyses and clustered regression ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was received from the Medical Committee of the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, the Netherlands The current project provides recommendations for guidelines on COPD and supports implementation of ACP in the regular clinical care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR3940.