Making advance care planning easier and clearer for older adults before surgery
I CAN DO Surgical ACP (Improving Completion, Accuracy, and Dissemination Of Surgical Advanced Care Planning) Trial
This project helps people 65 and older who are having elective surgery use an easy online planning tool (PREPARE) in their medical record to complete and share advance care plans with surgical teams and caregivers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11191530 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are an older adult preparing for major elective surgery, the team will offer you an interactive, patient-facing planning tool called PREPARE that is linked into the hospital’s electronic health record and patient portal. You may receive automated reminders and step-by-step guidance to think about and record your treatment preferences and to share them with family and clinicians. The program is designed to fit into the normal pre-surgery workflow so conversations and documentation can happen before your operation. Study staff will track whether patients complete advance care planning and whether those plans are available to the surgical team.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults age 65 or older who are scheduled for major elective surgery and who can access the hospital patient portal or have caregiver support to use the PREPARE tool.
Not a fit: Patients not facing elective surgery, those having emergency operations, or people without patient-portal access or without caregiver support (or with severe cognitive impairment without a surrogate) may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to more patients having documented advance care plans that reflect their wishes and are available to surgical teams when decisions are needed.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research shows PREPARE increases advance care planning engagement in other clinical settings, but applying it specifically to the pre-surgical setting is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wick, Elizabeth C — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Wick, Elizabeth C
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 below.