Can a tip sheet reduce racial bias in ICU conversations?
NCT ID NCT05710744
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether a simple tip sheet can help ICU doctors have better conversations with families of patients on breathing machines, especially families from different racial backgrounds. About 106 doctors and their patients' families will take part. The goal is to see if the tip sheet is practical and acceptable, not yet whether it actually reduces disparities.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Shared decision making tip sheet
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a simple tool to reduce racial disparities in ICU communication and improve family outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study (106 participants) testing feasibility, not effectiveness. It may not show meaningful changes or be generalizable to other hospitals.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 106 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Physician inclusion criterion: \- ICU attending physician with at least 6 weeks of clinical service time in the 12 months preceding and following enrollment Physician exclusion criterion: \- Board certified in palliative care medicine Patient inclusion criteria: * Admitted to the ICU * Being treated by a study physician currently and at least for the next 48 hours * ≥ 18 years of age upon admission to hospital * Mechanically ventilated ≥ 4 days Patient exclusion criterion: * Tracheostomy tube present or decision to pursue tracheostomy within next 7 days * Has decision making capacity as assessed by medical team * Extubation planned or death anticipated in next 24 hours * Patients who are prisoners or are pregnant * Awaiting organ transplantation during this hospitalization * Acute respiratory failure due to progression of chronic neuromuscular disease * No family decision maker available Family member inclusion criteria: * Identified by medical team as person most involved in medical decision making for the patient * Confirmed to be patient's legally authorized representative * Self-identifies as non-Hispanic, Black or White * ≥ 18 years of age at time of consent * Confirms conversational fluency in English
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
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