Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a simple communication tool cut unnecessary ICU care?

NCT ID NCT04181294

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested a new way for doctors and families to talk about ICU care for very sick patients with advanced illnesses. Instead of continuing treatments indefinitely, they used 'time-limited trials' — agreements to try treatments for a set period and then check if the patient is improving. The goal was to see if this approach could reduce the amount of non-beneficial ICU treatments without increasing deaths. The study involved 209 patients and trained ICU staff in this communication method.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Time-limited trial communication protocol
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could help doctors and families make better decisions about ICU care, reducing unnecessary suffering and healthcare costs.
What could go wrong
This is a completed quality improvement study, not a treatment trial. Results may not apply to all ICUs or patient populations.

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

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

209 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2017

Finished

Dec 2019

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients admitted to the medical ICU who are determined on admission by the treating ICU physicians to be at high risk for potentially non-beneficial treatments based on ICU Admission and Triage Guidelines from the Society of Critical Care Medicine Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who cannot communicate for themselves and do not have surrogate decision-makers

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Communication are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Communication communication disorder Critical Illness

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Communication Critical illness

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Harbor UCLA Medical Center

    Torrance, California, 90509, United States

  • Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center

    Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States

  • Olive View Medical Center

    Sylmar, California, 91342, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.