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NCT04466865Completed

A Communication Tool to Assist Older Adults Facing Dialysis Choices

Best Case/Worst Case: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial of Scenario Planning for Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 30 Apr 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

The purpose of this study is to test the effect of the "Best Case/Worse Case" (BC/WC) communication tool on receipt of palliative care and intensity of treatment at the end of life, quality of life, and quality of communication for older patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving outpatient care at ten nephrology clinics. The intervention was developed and tested with acute care surgical patients at the University of Wisconsin (UW) and is now being testing to see if the intervention will work in a different setting. The intervention will be tested with 320 older adults who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and are receiving care from a nephrologist enrolled in the study. Randomly assigned nephrologists within each site will receive the intervention (training to use the BC/WC tool) or to be in the waitlist control, meaning that they will not be offered BC/WC training until the end of the study, when all participants have been enrolled. Participants will be on follow up with surveys and chart review for up to two years after study enrollment. Caregivers will also be invited to participate and complete surveys.

Status (registry)
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
407 (actual)
First submitted
7 Jul 2020
Start date
2 Nov 2020
Primary completion date
10 Nov 2025
Lead sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison
NCT number
NCT04466865

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Participants enrolled: 407
  • From 2 Nov 2020 to the primary completion date, 10 Nov 2025
  • 11 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Currently on dialysis

Other

  • Lack decision-making capacity
  • Do not speak English

Who the study is looking for

  • Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than or equal to 24
  • Not currently on dialysis (participants are eligible if they have had intermittent dialysis in the past or have dialysis access in place but are not currently on dialysis)
  • Participants must meet one or more of the following criteria: age greater than 80, evidence from the medical record that the patient has comorbid illness such that the modified Charlson score is 4 or greater, or a negative response to the standard "Surprise Question" ("Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next year?") from the participant's nephrologist.

Age in the registry: 60 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (11)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
University of Michigan
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Ann ArborUnited StatesUnknown status
Johns Hopkins University
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BaltimoreUnited StatesUnknown status
Department of Medicine, University of Vermont
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BurlingtonUnited StatesUnknown status
Northwestern University
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ChicagoUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Colorado Denver
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DenverUnited StatesUnknown status
Medical College of Wisconsin
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MilwaukeeUnited StatesUnknown status
West Virginia University
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MorgantownUnited StatesUnknown status
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
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New YorkUnited StatesUnknown status
Columbia University
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New YorkUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Pittsburgh
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PittsburghUnited StatesUnknown status
University of Washington
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
SeattleUnited StatesUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.