ICUconnect 2: helping older ICU patients and families get better palliative care
Official title: Improving needs among older adults: the ICUconnect 2 primary palliative care RCT
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11419725 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-site study will test a mobile app that helps ICU teams deliver personalized palliative care to older adults and support families.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $653,885 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG084572-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419725 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults in ICUs with elevated unmet palliative care needs and their families at participating sites.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without high unmet palliative care needs or in settings without ICUconnect adoption may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on a prior trial by using a multicenter randomized design to test the ICUconnect mobile app in four hospitals. It aims to help ICU clinicians provide consistent, needs-targeted palliative care by collecting patient-family needs and guiding care decisions. If successful, the app could make high-quality palliative care more available to older adults across hospitals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could improve comfort, alignment of care with patient goals, and family satisfaction for ICU patients.
How similar studies have gone: A prior single-center trial showed improved unmet needs and goal-concordant care with ICUconnect.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cox, Christopher Ethan — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Cox, Christopher Ethan
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.