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CompletedNCT03138564Updated May 7, 2026Results posted

An Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of SPIRIT in ESRD

An interventional study of SPIRIT and Comparison Condition in End Stage Renal Disease, sponsored by Emory University. Completed at 39 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-07.

Sponsored by Emory University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
852
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Despite advances in dialysis, only 50% of dialysis patients are alive 3 years after the onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although withdrawal of dialysis precedes 1 in 4 deaths of patients with ESRD, withdrawal from dialysis and aggressive treatment is rarely discussed by patients and their surrogates with sufficient time to consider alternatives such as hospice or dying at home. Over the last decade, the researchers have developed and iteratively tested a patient and family-centered advance care planning intervention based on the Representational Approach to Patient Education called "Sharing Patient's Illness Representation to Increase Trust" (SPIRIT). SPIRIT is a 6-step, 2-session, face-to-face intervention to promote cognitive and emotional preparation for end-of-life decision making for patients with ESRD and their surrogates.

This study is a multicenter, clinic-level cluster randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of SPIRIT delivered by dialysis care providers as part of routine care in free-standing outpatient dialysis clinics compared to usual care plus delayed SPIRIT implementation. The researchers will recruit 400 dyads of patients at high risk of death in the next year and their surrogates from dialysis clinics in four states. Patients and surrogates will complete questionnaires at baseline and two weeks after the intervention. Surrogates will complete a post-bereavement assessment three months after the death of the patient.

Read the detailed description

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) currently affects nearly 662,000 people in the U.S. While dialysis is the treatment of choice for over 90% of patients with ESRD and is universally covered by Medicare regardless of patient age or means, the likelihood that dialysis can restore health or prolong life is limited; only 50% of dialysis patients are alive 3 years after the onset of ESRD. Thus many dialysis patients and their family members or surrogate decision-makers have to face difficult end-of-life decisions. Although advance care planning (ACP), in which patients and surrogate decision-makers discuss future health states and treatment options, is a central tenet of dialysis care, the vast majority of dialysis patients (>90%) report never engaging in ACP discussions with their care providers. The lack of effective ACP to prepare patients and their surrogates for end-of-life decision making with sufficient time before death has deleterious consequences at all levels of society. Consequences have been well documented: prolonged use of futile treatment at the end of life, which misuses the healthcare system, high levels of surrogate distress during decision making, which emanates from not having a clear understanding of the patient's wishes, and surrogates experiencing later sequelae of psychosocial morbidities, such as depression and family discord.

"Sharing Patient's Illness Representation to Increase Trust" (SPIRIT), a patient and family-centered ACP intervention based on the Representational Approach to Patient Education, was designed by the research team to establish a testable model of how end-of-life care discussions could occur between a dialysis patient and his/her chosen surrogate (usually a spouse or adult child). The discussions, which are facilitated by a trained care provider, are framed around addressing each individual's representations of (beliefs about) the illness and views of life-sustaining measures at the end of life. SPIRIT follows a six-step learning objective over two-sessions, which together take about 60 minutes. The care provider, who is value-neutral, guides the patient in examining his/her values related to end-of-life care, helps the surrogate understand the patient's illness progression, and prepares the surrogate for his/her role as a surrogate in a highly emotionally charged medical setting. Over the last decade, SPIRIT has been tested to establish feasibility, patient-surrogate acceptability, and efficacy. In these explanatory trials carried out in dialysis clinics, SPIRIT was delivered by trained research nurses. Patients and surrogates in SPIRIT showed significant improvement in preparedness for end-of-life decision making, including the extent to which: a) the patient and surrogate agreed on end-of-life care goals, b) the patient had reduced conflict about the benefits and burdens of life-sustaining treatments, and c) the surrogate had increased confidence about the role of surrogate. Key to establishing the utility of this approach for broader generalizability, surrogates who received SPIRIT reported significantly improved post-bereavement psychological outcomes after the patient's death compared to those who did not. The logical, critical next step is to ask: Will SPIRIT be effective as part of routine care in real-world clinical settings with less control? To address this very issue, the researchers will conduct a real-world effectiveness-implementation study, an essential step prior to widespread implementation of SPIRIT.

This study is a multicenter, clinic-level cluster randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of SPIRIT delivered by dialysis care providers as part of routine care in free-standing outpatient dialysis clinics compared to usual care plus delayed SPIRIT implementation. Simultaneously, the researchers will evaluate the implementation of SPIRIT, including sustainability. This study will use a Type I effectiveness-implementation hybrid approach that combines testing intervention effectiveness and gathering information about implementation of an efficacious intervention in a real world setting. To maximize data on the implementation process and sustainability, the researchers chose a delayed intervention design in which clinics are randomized either to implement SPIRIT immediately after randomization (i.e., initial implementation) or to maintain usual care for a comparison condition and then implement the intervention in control clinics following conclusion of this clinical trial (i.e., delayed implementation). The intent of the delayed implementation group was provide descriptive data for translation of the intervention into clinical practice (versus data collected on dyad participants in this current study), however, this portion of the study could not be performed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The short-term goal is to generate sufficient evidence to accelerate the integration of SPIRIT into dialysis practice and policy. This study will recruit 400 dyads of patients at high risk of death in the next year and their surrogates (a total of 800 individuals) from dialysis clinics in four states. The dialysis clinics will be randomized to implement SPIRIT or to maintain usual care to serve as a control to the intervention. Participants will complete a follow-up assessment two weeks after the the study intervention. They will then be observed for 9 months (or until the death of the patient) with an optional extension of the observational period for an additional 12 months, for up to 21 months of observation. Individual patient participation will end after the observation period (9 or 21 months) or death, whichever occurs first; surrogate participation will end after the observation period (9 or 21 months) or at the completion of the post-bereavement surveys which are administered 3-months after the death of the patient (up to 24 months).

02

Conditions studied

  • End Stage Renal Disease

Keywords

  • Nursing
  • Nephrology
  • Behavioral Research
  • Social Research
03

In context

Kidney Failure, Chronic

2,085 studies on the registry are indexed under Kidney Failure, Chronic; 260 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 852 is above the median of 55 across 1,557 interventional studies indexed under Kidney Failure, Chronic.

Browse Kidney Failure, Chronic studies →

Lead sponsor

Emory University is the lead sponsor of 1,386 studies on the registry; 236 are open to participants now.

Of its 229 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 174 (76%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Patients:

  • on either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
  • able to understand and speak English

Exclusion Criteria for Patients:

  • lack of an available surrogate
  • too ill or cognitively impaired to participate based on clinicians' judgment
  • already enrolled in hospice

Inclusion Criteria for Surrogates:

  • are chosen as a surrogate by the patient
  • paid caregivers who will not be participating in medical decisions for the patient

Exclusion Criteria for Surrogates:

  • Unable to complete questionnaires due to physical or cognitive limitations
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
852 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    SPIRIT Clinic

    Patients at clinics that have been randomized to the SPIRIT arm will be given the option to participate in the intervention. SPIRIT is a two-session, 60-minute, structured psychoeducational intervention, targeting both patient and surrogate. Using a provider manual, the care provider follows six steps: 1) assessing illness presentation, 2) identifying gaps and concerns, 3) creating conditions for conceptual change, 4) introducing replacement information, 5) summarizing, and 6) setting goals and planning.

    Behavioral: SPIRIT

  • Active comparator
    Comparison Condition Clinic

    Patients at clinics that have been randomized to the control arm will be given the option to participate as a study control. The control clinics will have delayed implementation of the SPIRIT intervention.

    Behavioral: Comparison Condition

Interventions

  • BehavioralSPIRIT

    SPIRIT is a two-session, structured psychoeducational intervention assisting patients clarify their end-of-life preferences and helping surrogates understand the patient's wishes and prepare for the surrogate role. During the first session (about 45 minutes) individualized information is provided about the effectiveness of life-sustaining treatment for people with end-organ failure, and the care provider will assist the patient to examine his/her values about life-sustaining treatment. The surrogate will receive help preparing for end-of-life decision-making and the emotional burden of decision-making. A Goals-of-Care document will be completed to indicate the patient's preferences. Two weeks later, the second session (about 15 minutes) addresses remaining or new concerns. The patient's Goals-of-Care document will be reviewed. The patient's end-of-life preferences and surrogate's name and relationship to the patient will be documented in the medical record.

    Also known as: Sharing Patient's Illness Representation to Increase Trust

  • BehavioralComparison Condition

    As required by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), written information on advance directives (ADs) is provided to a patient on the first day of dialysis, and a social worker reviews this information with patients and encourages them to complete an AD. This typically takes about 10 minutes.

    Also known as: Usual care

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Dyad Congruence on Goals-of-Care Tool

    The Goals-of-Care Tool which includes two scenarios describing medical conditions commonly occurring in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Possible responses to the scenarios are: "The goals of care should focus on delaying my death, and thus I want to continue life-sustaining treatment", "The goals of care should focus on my comfort and peace, and thus I do not want life-sustaining treatment, including dialysis", and "I am not sure". Patients and surrogates complete this tool independently and their responses are compared to determine dyad congruence. A dyad is assigned with "1" if each member of the dyad chose the same response (either comfort care only or continue aggressive care) in both scenarios. In all other cases, the dyad is assigned with "0", which includes: 1) the patient and surrogate responses are the same in one of the two scenarios, 2) the patient and surrogate responses differ in both scenarios, and 3) the patient and surrogate responses are both "I am not sure".

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 2

  2. Patient's Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) Score

    Patient decisional conflict is measured using the 13-item Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), a validated measure in the context of end-of-life decision making. Participants indicate their level of agreement with statements about their plans for their future medical care by selecting (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Neither Agree nor Disagree, (4) Disagree, or (5) Strongly Disagree. The total score ranges from 13 to 65 with higher scores indicating greater difficulty in weighing benefits and burdens of life-sustaining treatments and decision making.

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 2

  3. Surrogate's Decision Making Confidence (DMC) Scale Score

    Surrogate decision-making confidence is measured using the 5-item Decision Making Confidence (DMC) scale. Surrogates indicate how confident they are about making medical decisions if the patient becomes unable to make their own decisions by their level of agreement with statements along a scale of (0) "Not confident at all" to (4) "Very confident". Total scores range from 0 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater confidence.

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 2

  4. Composite Outcome of Dyad Congruence and Surrogate DMC Score

    The composite outcome combines dyad congruence on Goals-of-Care scenarios and surrogate DMC scores. If the dyad congruence is 1 and the surrogate's DMC \>=3, then the composite outcome value for the dyad is "1". In all other cases, the dyad's composite outcome value is "0".

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 2

Secondary outcomes

  1. End-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare

    The use of intensive procedures during end-of-life treatment is identified through the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). Among participants having Medicare, admission to hospice, withdrawal of dialysis, and institutional death were documented.

    Time frame: Upon patient death (up to 21 months)

  2. End-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare as the Primary Payer

    The use of intensive procedures during end-of-life treatment is identified through the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). Among participants having Medicare as the primary payer, admission to the hospital, intensive care unit, or a skilled nursing facility was documented, as well as intensive procedures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), intubation, mechanical ventilation, and feeding (gastronomy or jejunal) tube insertion.

    Time frame: Upon patient death (up to 21 months)

  3. Surrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety Subscale Score

    Surrogate post-bereavement anxiety symptoms were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety subscale. Surrogates indicate their level of agreement with statements by selecting responses rated from 0 (the problem in the statement is not an issue) to 3 (the problem in the statement is a very big issue). Scores for the anxiety subscale range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity. A score of 0-7 indicates "normal", 8-10 indicates "borderline abnormal", and 11-21 indicates "abnormal" levels of anxiety.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)

  4. Surrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression Subscale Score

    Surrogate post-bereavement symptoms of depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression subscale. Surrogates indicate their level of agreement with statements by selecting responses rated from 0 (the problem in the statement is not an issue) to 3 (the problem in the statement is a very big issue). Total scores of the depression subscale range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity. A score of 0-7 indicates "normal", 8-10 indicates "borderline abnormal", and 11-21 indicates "abnormal" levels of depression.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)

  5. Surrogate's Post-Traumatic Symptoms Scale-10 (PTSS-10) Score

    Surrogate post-bereavement traumatic distress was measured with the Post-Traumatic Symptoms Scale-10 (PTSS-10). Surrogates indicate how often they have experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress by responding to 10 symptoms on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 = "never" and 7 = "always". Total scale scores range from 10 to 70 and higher scores indicate more intense symptoms.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)

07

Results

Posted Sep 18, 2023

Participant flow

Participants were recruited from multiple dialysis centers in Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, USA. Participant enrollment began on February 15, 2018, and follow-up assessments for the primary outcome measures at Week 2 were completed on March 24, 2022. Data collection for secondary outcome measures with surrogates three months after the patient's death was completed July 29, 2022.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneSPIRIT ClinicComparison Condition Clinic
Started462390
Patients beginning the study231195
Surrogates beginning the study231195
Patients completing the week 2 assessment182192
Surrogates completing the week 2 assessment183189
Surrogates eligible for post-bereavement visit5435
Surrogates completing post-bereavement visit4631
Completed365381
Not completed979
Withdrew: Death of patient prior to the week 2 assessment142
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up162
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject484
Withdrew: No longer met eligibility criteria20
Withdrew: Withdrawal by investigator due to no availability of spirit champion in the clinic40
Withdrew: Patient died before surrogate completed week 2 assessment120
Withdrew: Surrogate declined to complete the week 2 assessment but did not withdraw from study01
Withdrew: Death of surrogate prior to week 2 assessment10

Outcome measures

PrimaryDyad Congruence on Goals-of-Care Tool

The Goals-of-Care Tool which includes two scenarios describing medical conditions commonly occurring in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Possible responses to the scenarios are: "The goals of care should focus on delaying my death, and thus I want to continue life-sustaining treatment", "The goals of care should focus on my comfort and peace, and thus I do not want life-sustaining treatment, including dialysis", and "I am not sure". Patients and surrogates complete this tool independently and their responses are compared to determine dyad congruence. A dyad is assigned with "1" if each member of the dyad chose the same response (either comfort care only or continue aggressive care) in both scenarios. In all other cases, the dyad is assigned with "0", which includes: 1) the patient and surrogate responses are the same in one of the two scenarios, 2) the patient and surrogate responses differ in both scenarios, and 3) the patient and surrogate responses are both "I am not sure".

Time frame:
Baseline, Week 2
Reported as:
Number · dyads
Dyad Congruence on Goals-of-Care Tool
dyadsSPIRIT Clinic - DyadsComparison Condition Clinic - Dyads
Number of Congruent Dyads at Baseline (assigned value = 1)9876
Number of Incongruent Dyads at Baseline (assigned value = 0)133119
Number of Congruent Dyads at 2 Weeks Post-Intervention (assigned value = 1)11194
Number of Incongruent Dyads at 2 Weeks Post-Intervention (assigned value = 0)7193
PrimaryPatient's Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) Score

Patient decisional conflict is measured using the 13-item Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), a validated measure in the context of end-of-life decision making. Participants indicate their level of agreement with statements about their plans for their future medical care by selecting (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Neither Agree nor Disagree, (4) Disagree, or (5) Strongly Disagree. The total score ranges from 13 to 65 with higher scores indicating greater difficulty in weighing benefits and burdens of life-sustaining treatments and decision making.

Time frame:
Baseline, Week 2
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Patient's Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) Score
score on a scaleSPIRIT Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - Patients
Baseline25.6 ± 6.2224.8 ± 5.82
Two Weeks Post-Intervention23.4 ± 5.9424.1 ± 5.78
PrimarySurrogate's Decision Making Confidence (DMC) Scale Score

Surrogate decision-making confidence is measured using the 5-item Decision Making Confidence (DMC) scale. Surrogates indicate how confident they are about making medical decisions if the patient becomes unable to make their own decisions by their level of agreement with statements along a scale of (0) "Not confident at all" to (4) "Very confident". Total scores range from 0 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater confidence.

Time frame:
Baseline, Week 2
Reported as:
Mean · Score on a scale
Surrogate's Decision Making Confidence (DMC) Scale Score
Score on a scaleSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - Surrogates
Baseline18.2 ± 2.7318.3 ± 2.59
Two Weeks Post-Intervention18.9 ± 1.7318.6 ± 2.16
PrimaryComposite Outcome of Dyad Congruence and Surrogate DMC Score

The composite outcome combines dyad congruence on Goals-of-Care scenarios and surrogate DMC scores. If the dyad congruence is 1 and the surrogate's DMC \>=3, then the composite outcome value for the dyad is "1". In all other cases, the dyad's composite outcome value is "0".

Time frame:
Baseline, Week 2
Reported as:
Number · dyads
Composite Outcome of Dyad Congruence and Surrogate DMC Score
dyadsSPIRIT Clinic - DyadsComparison Condition Clinic - Dyads
Number of Dyads Where Baseline Composite Outcome = 19274
Number of Dyads Where Baseline Composite Outcome = 0139121
Number of Dyads Where Week 2 Post-Intervention Composite Outcome = 110790
Number of Dyads Where Week 2 Post-Intervention Composite Outcome = 07597
SecondaryEnd-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare

The use of intensive procedures during end-of-life treatment is identified through the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). Among participants having Medicare, admission to hospice, withdrawal of dialysis, and institutional death were documented.

Time frame:
Upon patient death (up to 21 months)
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
End-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare
ParticipantsSPIRIT Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - Patients
Admission to hospice — Yes139
Admission to hospice — No3823
Admission to hospice — Unknown00
Dialysis Withdrawal — Yes810
Dialysis Withdrawal — No4021
Dialysis Withdrawal — Unknown31
Institutional Death — Yes2416
Institutional Death — No2615
Institutional Death — Unknown11
SecondaryEnd-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare as the Primary Payer

The use of intensive procedures during end-of-life treatment is identified through the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). Among participants having Medicare as the primary payer, admission to the hospital, intensive care unit, or a skilled nursing facility was documented, as well as intensive procedures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), intubation, mechanical ventilation, and feeding (gastronomy or jejunal) tube insertion.

Time frame:
Upon patient death (up to 21 months)
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
End-of-life Treatment Intensity Among Participants With Medicare as the Primary Payer
ParticipantsSPIRIT Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - Patients
Admission to hospital1713
Admission to intensive care unit1311
Admission to skilled nursing facility31
Any intensive procedure118
Intensive procedure: cardiopulmonary resuscitation52
Intensive procedure: Intubation97
Intensive procedure: mechanical ventilation106
Intensive procedure: gastronomy/jejunal tube insertion31
SecondarySurrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety Subscale Score

Surrogate post-bereavement anxiety symptoms were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety subscale. Surrogates indicate their level of agreement with statements by selecting responses rated from 0 (the problem in the statement is not an issue) to 3 (the problem in the statement is a very big issue). Scores for the anxiety subscale range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity. A score of 0-7 indicates "normal", 8-10 indicates "borderline abnormal", and 11-21 indicates "abnormal" levels of anxiety.

Time frame:
Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Surrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety Subscale Score
score on a scaleSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - Surrogates
Baseline for all surrogates where the patient died during the follow-up period4.80 ± 2.994.89 ± 2.83
Baseline for surrogates who completed the post-bereavement assessment4.85 ± 3.074.61 ± 2.81
Post-bereavement assessment (3 months after patient death)5.59 ± 3.586.71 ± 3.72
SecondarySurrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression Subscale Score

Surrogate post-bereavement symptoms of depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression subscale. Surrogates indicate their level of agreement with statements by selecting responses rated from 0 (the problem in the statement is not an issue) to 3 (the problem in the statement is a very big issue). Total scores of the depression subscale range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity. A score of 0-7 indicates "normal", 8-10 indicates "borderline abnormal", and 11-21 indicates "abnormal" levels of depression.

Time frame:
Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Surrogate's Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression Subscale Score
score on a scaleSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - Surrogates
Baseline for all surrogates where the patient died during the follow-up period3.28 ± 2.622.83 ± 2.80
Baseline for surrogates who completed the post-bereavement assessment3.04 ± 2.362.71 ± 2.76
Post-bereavement assessment (3 months after patient death)4.26 ± 2.944.23 ± 2.69
SecondarySurrogate's Post-Traumatic Symptoms Scale-10 (PTSS-10) Score

Surrogate post-bereavement traumatic distress was measured with the Post-Traumatic Symptoms Scale-10 (PTSS-10). Surrogates indicate how often they have experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress by responding to 10 symptoms on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 = "never" and 7 = "always". Total scale scores range from 10 to 70 and higher scores indicate more intense symptoms.

Time frame:
Baseline, 3 months after patient death (up to 24 months)
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Surrogate's Post-Traumatic Symptoms Scale-10 (PTSS-10) Score
score on a scaleSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - Surrogates
Baseline for all surrogates where the patient died during the follow-up period19.96 ± 9.2421.97 ± 9.87
Baseline for surrogates who completed the post-bereavement assessment19.30 ± 7.8121.97 ± 10.26
Post-bereavement assessment (3 months after patient death)26.4 ± 12.229.3 ± 13.3

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events were documented during the intervention session (Day 1). Dyads remained in the study to be followed for patient deaths for 9 months and after that they could opt to be followed for an additional 12 months, for up to 21 months in total. When a patient died the surrogate was asked to complete a post-bereavement assessment 3 months after the patient death, and then their study participation was considered complete (up to 24 months).. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
SPIRIT Clinic - Patients54/231 (23.4%)0/231 (0%)0/231 (0%)
SPIRIT Clinic - Surrogates1/231 (0.4%)0/231 (0%)0/231 (0%)
Comparison Condition Clinic - Patients35/195 (17.9%)0/195 (0%)0/195 (0%)
Comparison Condition Clinic - Surrogates0/195 (0%)0/195 (0%)0/195 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)SPIRIT Clinic - PatientsSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - SurrogatesTotal
Mean61.5 ± 12.853.2 ± 14.762.4 ± 12.554.3 ± 16.157.8 ± 14.6
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)SPIRIT Clinic - PatientsSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - SurrogatesTotal
Female12116897152538
Male110639843314
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)SPIRIT Clinic - PatientsSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - SurrogatesTotal
Hispanic or Latino965828
Not Hispanic or Latino222225190185822
Unknown or Not Reported00022
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)SPIRIT Clinic - PatientsSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - SurrogatesTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native11316
Asian11002
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander00000
Black or African American161159132132584
White66645357240
More than one race244111
Unknown or Not Reported02349
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)SPIRIT Clinic - PatientsSPIRIT Clinic - SurrogatesComparison Condition Clinic - PatientsComparison Condition Clinic - SurrogatesTotal
United States231231195195852
08

Study locations

39 sites
  • Emory Dialysis at Northside
    Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
  • Emory Dialysis at Greenbriar
    Atlanta, Georgia 30331, United States
  • Emory Dialysis at Candler
    Decatur, Georgia 30034, United States
  • Emory Dialysis Center
    North Decatur, Georgia 30033, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Acoma Canoncito Laguna
    Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico 87034, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Albuquerque
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Albuquerque South
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Albuquerque East
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Carlsbad
    Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Cuba
    Cuba, New Mexico 87013, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Grants
    Grants, New Mexico 87020, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Raton
    Raton, New Mexico 87740, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Rio Rancho
    Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Santo Domingo
    Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico 87052, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Silver City
    Silver City, New Mexico 88061, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Taos
    Taos, New Mexico 87571, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis - Carrboro
    Carrboro, North Carolina 27510, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis - Mebane
    Mebane, North Carolina 27302, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis - Pittsboro
    Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312, United States
  • Fresenius Kidney Care - Raleigh
    Raleigh, North Carolina 27610, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis-Sanford Lee County
    Sanford, North Carolina 27332, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis-Sanford Main
    Sanford, North Carolina 27332, United States
  • Carolina Dialysis - Siler City
    Siler City, North Carolina 27344, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Harmar Village
    Cheswick, Pennsylvania 15024, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Monroeville/Five Points
    Monroeville, Pennsylvania 15146, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - North Versailles
    North Versailles, Pennsylvania 15137, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Oakland
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Banksville
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15216, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - Wilkinsburg
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15221, United States
  • Dialysis Clinic, Inc - North Hills
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Altavista Clinic
    Altavista, Virginia 24517, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Amherst Clinic
    Amherst, Virginia 24521, United States
  • Kidney Center Outpatient Dialysis Clinic
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Clinic Farmville
    Farmville, Virginia 23901, United States
  • UVA Augusta Dialysis
    Fishersville, Virginia 22939, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Zion Crossroads
    Gordonsville, Virginia 22942, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Lynchburg
    Lynchburg, Virginia 24501, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Orange Clinic
    Orange, Virginia 22960, United States
  • UVA Dialysis Clinic Staunton
    Staunton, Virginia 24401, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Song MK, Unruh ML, Manatunga A, Plantinga LC, Lea J, Jhamb M, Kshirsagar AV, Ward SE. SPIRIT trial: A phase III pragmatic trial of an advance care planning intervention in ESRD. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 Jan;64:188-194. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2017.10.005. Epub 2017 Oct 6. PubMed 28993286 ↗
  • Song MK, Manatunga A, Plantinga L, Metzger M, Kshirsagar AV, Lea J, Abdel-Rahman EM, Jhamb M, Wu E, Englert J, Ward SE. Effectiveness of an Advance Care Planning Intervention in Adults Receiving Dialysis and Their Families: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jan 2;7(1):e2351511. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.51511. PubMed 38289604 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Apr 8, 2021
  • Informed consent form · Jul 7, 2020

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 7, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03138564
Lead sponsor
Emory University
Collaborators
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Responsible party
Mi-Kyung Song (Professor, Emory University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 3, 2017
Start date
Feb 15, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 24, 2022
Completion
Nov 21, 2025
Results posted
Sep 18, 2023
Last update
May 7, 2026

Study contacts

Mi-Kyung Song, PhD, RN
principal investigator · Emory University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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