Nurse Coach-Led Early Palliative Care for Older Adults With COPD and Their Care Partners: The Project EPIC Pilot RCT

Participants randomized to the intervention arm receive usual COPD care + EPIC. EPIC is informed by the ENABLE model or early palliative care. ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) is a theory-based, rigorously tested, and multicomponent early palliative care model that improved quality of life and emotional symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. The PI adapted ENABLE to meet the specific needs of patients with COPD and their care partners through EPIC. EPIC includes a series of weekly telephone-based, nurse coach-led sessions for patients (six) and their care partners (four) aided by a manualized curriculum. Participants also complete activities geared to solving problems and making difficult decisions, attend a Supportive Care clinic visit, and complete advance directives.

Participants randomized to this arm receive standard of care for COPD. This includes routine clinic visits with their clinician, medications, inhalers, vaccinations, tobacco cessation counseling, illness education, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, specialist referrals, and other COPD therapies deemed appropriate by their clinician.