Palliative Care for Non-Malignant Diseases (COMPASS Trial)

Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on providing patients with relief from
the symptoms, pain, and stress of serious or life-limiting illness, regardless of diagnosis,
by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care aims to provide patients
and their families with services to help patients make the best possible medical decisions in
the face of serious illness. Unfortunately it is often thought to be synonymous with hospice
care and therefore underutilized as a part of standard care. Patients with chronic liver
disease or cirrhosis may be a particularly underserved population for palliative care, as
palliative care may be disregarded until hope of liver transplantation is lost.

Study Description:

- Adult patients admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with cirrhotic advanced
liver disease and poor prognosis will be randomized to receive either usual hepatic care
or usual hepatic care with comprehensive palliative care services.

- Participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive patient-friendly
informational materials, a comprehensive initial palliative care consultation, and
follow-up consultations while inpatient. After discharge from hospital, follow-up
consults will occur via telephone contact. Telephone contacts will occur on a flexible
schedule based on needs and wishes of the participant at a minimum frequency of one
contact per month.

- Participants will receive the palliative care intervention for at least 1 year after
randomization to the intervention arm or until death.

- Participants randomized to the usual care arm will not be scheduled to meet with the
palliative care service unless a meeting is requested by the patient, the family, or
treating physician. These consultations include the same palliative care services as the
intervention arm, excluding the telephone follow-up consultations.

- All participants will complete quality of life, mood, and satisfaction with care
assessments at specified time points for 1 year after randomization or until death.
Optional caregiver participation includes completion of satisfaction with care
assessments.

Specific aims include:

1. Assess the impact of systematic, comprehensive palliative care services compared to
usual hepatic care on time to first hospital readmission within 1-year post
randomization.

2. Assess the impact of systematic, comprehensive palliative care services compared to
usual hepatic care on other hospital utilization, including days alive out of hospital
within 6- months post randomization, total days in hospital (and ICU) within 1-year post
randomization, number and cost of hospital admissions within 1-year post randomization,
median length of stay per admission, transfers and time to hospice placement, and
survival within 1-year post randomization.

3. Assess the impact of systematic, comprehensive palliative care services compared to
usual hepatic care on qualify of life.

4. Assess the impact of systematic, comprehensive palliative care services compared to
usual hepatic care on patient/caregiver satisfaction.

5. Evaluate the fidelity of the palliative care intervention and assess the
generalizability of implementing a large-scale Palliative Care program.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Inpatient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center with advanced cirrhotic liver
disease, whose treating hepatologist indicates a 'No' response to the question, "Would
you be surprised if this patient died within 1 year?"

Exclusion Criteria:

- Age < 18 years

- Receipt of liver transplant at the time of potential enrollment

- Inability to give written informed consent (patient or surrogate decision-maker)

- Inability to respond to questions in English

- Treating hepatologist denies permission to enroll

- Receiving hepatology care at non-Vanderbilt sites (to ensure appropriate follow-up)