LiverPAL: A Randomized Trial of Inpatient Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Liver Disease
Massachusetts General Hospital
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether early integration of palliative care in the care of hospitalized patients with advanced liver disease (AdvLD) can improve patients' quality of life, physical symptoms, mood, and serious illness communication. Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on lessening (or "palliating") symptoms and assisting in coping with serious illness.
Description
The main purpose of this study is to compare two types of care - usual hepatology care and usual hepatology care with early involvement of palliative care clinicians to see which is better for improving the experience of hospitalized patients with advanced liver disease (AdvLD). The investigators aim to find out whether introducing hospitalized patients with AdvLD to the palliative care team that specializes in symptom management can improve the quality of life and physical and psychological symptoms that patients and families experience during their hospitalizations as well as enhance the qu…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Patient Inclusion Criteria: 1. Hospitalized patient with a diagnosis of advanced liver disease, defined as cirrhosis with one of the following (new or ongoing) within the prior six months from date of consent: * Ascites (requiring diuretics or serial large volume paracenteses) * Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis * Hepatic hydrothorax (requiring diuretics) * Variceal bleed (with one or more occurrences) * Overt hepatic encephalopathy (requiring medications) 2. Ability to comprehend English Patient Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior history of liver transplantation 2. Have uncontrol…
Interventions
- BehavioralLiverPAL
The intervention include integrating early palliative care with usual hepatology care to evaluate and treat patients' symptoms, enhance their illness and prognostic understanding, support their coping, and coordinate their serious illness, transitional, and end-of-life care.
Location
- Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, Massachusetts