Project EPIC (Early Palliative Care In COPD): A Formative and Summative Evaluation of the EPIC Telehealth Intervention

Authors

Anand S. Iyer, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Rachel D. Wells, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Avery C. Bechthold, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Margaret Armstrong, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Jun Yeong Byun, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Lanier O'Hare, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Richard Taylor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Stephanie Ford, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Jazmine Coffee-Dunning, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Mark T. Dransfield, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Cynthia J. Brown, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
Marie A. Bakitas, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-7-2022

Publication Title

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Abstract

Context: Early, concurrent palliative care interventions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are limited. Project EPIC (Early Palliative Care In COPD) is a multiphase mixed methods study working to fill this gap. Objectives: To conduct a formative and summative evaluation of EPIC, a telephonic nurse coach-led early palliative care intervention for COPD adapted from the ENABLE© intervention in cancer. Methods: Phase I Formative Evaluation: Patients with moderate-to-very-severe COPD, family caregivers, and pulmonary and palliative care clinicians rated the acceptability and feasibility of EPIC (≥4 out of five on a Likert-scale survey). Phase II Summative Evaluation: Patients and family caregivers in Phase I participated in a pilot of the three month EPIC prototype to evaluate intervention and data collection feasibility (≥70% completion) and to seek qualitative feedback. Results: Phase I Formative Evaluation: Patients (n=10), family caregivers (n=10), pulmonary clinicians (n=6), and palliative care clinicians (n=6) found EPIC acceptable and feasible to support adaptation, while priority early palliative care needs in COPD from our prior research mapped well to the EPIC prototype. Phase II Summative Evaluation: Patients (n=5; ages 49–72, 40% moderate COPD, 40% Black) and their family caregivers (n=5; ages 51–73, 40% Black) completed 100% of EPIC prototype components, including weekly telephone sessions, a one month follow-up call, Advance Directive, palliative care clinic attendance, and 95% of monthly phone data collection sessions. Feedback from participants about EPIC was all positive. Conclusion: EPIC was acceptable and feasible in patients with COPD and their family caregivers. Larger feasibility and effectiveness trials are warranted.

PubMed ID

36496113

Recommended Citation

Iyer, Anand S.; Wells, Rachel D.; Dionne-Odom, J. Nicholas; Bechthold, Avery C.; Armstrong, Margaret; Byun, Jun Yeong; O'Hare, Lanier; Taylor, Richard; Ford, Stephanie; Coffee-Dunning, Jazmine; Dransfield, Mark T.; Brown, Cynthia J.; and Bakitas, Marie A., "Project EPIC (Early Palliative Care In COPD): A Formative and Summative Evaluation of the EPIC Telehealth Intervention" (2022). School of Medicine Faculty Publications. 520.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/som_facpubs/520