NCT04921631: ProPACC

Randomized Trial of Specialty Palliative Care Integrated With Critical Care for Critically Ill Older Adults

Completed NA Last updated 27 April 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Early Integration of Specialty Palliative Care with Critical Care in Critical Illness in 1,091 participants. Completed in 28 February 2026.

Timeline

28 June 2021

Primary endpoint
28 February 2026

28 February 2026

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Pittsburgh
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	1,091
Start date	28 June 2021
Primary completion	28 February 2026
Estimated completion	28 February 2026
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Early Integration of Specialty Palliative Care with Critical Care

Conditions studied

• Critical Illness — all drugs for Critical Illness →

Sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Who can join

60 and older, any sex, with Critical Illness. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

What's being measured

Primary outcomes are the specific endpoints the trial is designed to prove or disprove.

• Patient and family centeredness of care
  Time frame: Measured at 3 months after hospital discharge
  12-item Patient Perceived Patient-Centeredness of Care Scale (PPPC), previously modified for use by surrogates, completed at 3-month telephone follow-up of surrogates.

Sponsor's own description

The National Academy of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have called for urgent action to improve the care delivered to the nearly 1,000,000 older Americans who die in intensive care units (ICUs) annually, or survive with substantial impairments. These patients often die with distressing symptoms and may receive more invasive, life-prolonging treatment than they would choose for themselves. Moreover, their family members acting as surrogate decision makers often experience lasting psychological distress from the ICU experience. The investigators will conduct a randomized trial among 500 patients and 750 surrogates and up to 150 clinicians to determine whether early integration of specialty palliative care with standard critical care can improve outcomes for critically ill older patients at high risk of death or severe functional impairments and their family members.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. ProPACC: Protocol for a Trial of Integrated Specialty Palliative Care for Critically Ill Older Adults.
   Andersen SK, Vincent G, Butler RA, Brown EHP, et al · · 2022 · cited 6× · PMID 35595373 · DOI 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.02.344