Trial results for Project EPIC, a pilot randomized controlled trial investigating nurse coach-led early palliative care for older adults with COPD, were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2025-11-10. The study enrolled 50 participants.
Background
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant health concern, ranking as the third leading cause of death among older Americans. Its prevalence rises with age, and older adults living with COPD frequently experience substantial unmet geriatrics-palliative care needs. These unmet needs can lead to a reduced quality of life, increased healthcare utilization, and end-of-life care that does not align with patient values and wishes. Proactive geriatrics-palliative care could benefit older adults with COPD well before the end of life, yet systematically developed interventions in this area have been lacking.
Trial design
This completed pilot randomized controlled trial, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 50 participants. The study focused on older adults with COPD and their care partners. The intervention investigated was Nurse Coach-Led Early Palliative Care, referred to as Project EPIC, delivered alongside usual care. The trial aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention.
Key results
The trial reported several key measurements related to intervention feasibility and acceptability:
- Intervention Feasibility (Sessions):
- For the Intervention (EPIC + Usual Care) group, the mean number of sessions was 9.2 (Standard Deviation 2.4).
- Another mean number of sessions for the Intervention (EPIC + Usual Care) group was 6.4 (Standard Deviation 2.7).
- Survey Feasibility (Participants):
- For Intervention (EPIC): Patient Participants, the count was 12 participants.
- For Control (Usual Care): Patient Participants, the count was 12 participants.
- For Intervention (EPIC): Caregiver Participants, the count was 6 participants.
- For Control (Usual Care): Caregiver Participants, the count was 8 participants.
- Intervention Acceptability Score (Score on a Scale):
- For Intervention (EPIC + Usual Care): Patient Participants, the mean score was 9.8 (Standard Deviation 0.4).
- For Intervention (EPIC + Usual Care): Caregiver Participants, the mean score was 9.9 (Standard Deviation 0.4).
- Count of Acceptability Qualitative Interviews (Participants):
- For Intervention (EPIC): Patient Participants, the count was 12 participants.
- For Control (Usual Care): Patient Participants, the count was 12 participants.
- For Intervention (EPIC): Caregiver Participants, the count was 6 participants.
- For Control (Usual Care): Caregiver Participants, the count was 7 participants.
What this means
The posted results from the Project EPIC pilot trial provide valuable insights into the feasibility and acceptability of a nurse coach-led early palliative care intervention for older adults with COPD and their care partners. The high mean acceptability scores of 9.8 for patient participants and 9.9 for caregiver participants suggest that the intervention was well-received. These findings indicate that such an intervention is both practical to implement and acceptable to the target population, laying a foundation for larger-scale studies to evaluate its clinical effectiveness in addressing the unmet palliative care needs of this vulnerable group.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT05040386, titled "Nurse Coach-Led Early Palliative Care for Older Adults With COPD and Their Care Partners: The Project EPIC Pilot RCT", were posted on 2025-11-10 on clinicaltrials.gov.