Asking hospitalized older adults about CPR and code status through the electronic medical record using different wording
Choice of Diction's Effect: Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Status Inpatient
This trial tests whether different ways of wording CPR and 'death' in the hospital electronic patient portal change how adults 65 and older choose their code status.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 118 (estimated) |
| Ages | 65 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New Brunswick, New Jersey) |
| Trial ID | NCT07405710 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Hospitalized patients over age 65 who can consent and read English are invited to complete electronic questionnaires delivered via the medical record/portal. Participants are shown alternate phrasings of code status prompts, some including explicit 'death' language, and their choices (full code versus no resuscitation) are recorded; prior portal use is tracked to see if it affects participation. Physicians also review objective risk scores (for example GO-FAR and Charlson Comorbidity Index) to measure agreement with patient-selected code status. Data collection is electronic but participants may request to speak with a study physician, and patients requiring ICU-level care are excluded.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Hospitalized, English-speaking adults age >65 who have capacity to consent and are not in the ICU are the ideal participants.
Not a fit: Patients who are critically ill in the ICU, who cannot consent, or who are not English-fluent are unlikely to benefit from this enrollment pathway.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make conversations and documentation about CPR preferences clearer and increase alignment between patient wishes and medical records.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has shown that wording can change advance care choices, but applying explicit 'death' language via the EMR portal for inpatients is a relatively new approach.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>65, English-fluency in reading and speaking, and the capacity to consent Exclusion Criteria: * Requiring ICU-level care
Where this trial is running
New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - New Brunswick — New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Karthik J Kota, MD MPH — Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Karthik J Kota, MD MPH
- Email: karthik.kota@rutgers.edu
- Phone: 732-235-7112
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.