Developing the Right for You? Intervention to improve engagement in community-based palliative care: a feasibility study and pilot test.

BACKGROUND

Community-based palliative care (CBPC) can improve symptom management and quality of life at reduced costs (through hospitalization prevention) for seriously ill older adults. However, CBPC services are underutilized due to multi-level factors including patient perceptions and lack of systematic methods for providers to identify and communicate the potential value of these services.

METHODS

The purpose of this study is to describe the co-design of Right for You? (R4U?) intervention materials and to present pilot test results of feasibility and preliminary effectiveness testing. R4U? was designed to improve how a CBPC program (offered as part of a Medicare Advantage health plan) is presented to seriously ill older adults and their caregivers.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest the co-designed R4U? was acceptable to clinicians and when pilot-tested demonstrated preliminary effectiveness with a seven percentage-point increase in enrollment in the CBPC program during the intervention period (May-September 2024).

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary findings support the acceptability and feasibility of using tailored R4U? as a way of increasing interest and enrollment in a CBPC program. Additional research is needed to determine if observed increases in CBPC enrollment are sustainable over time and scalable in other settings to improve enrollment in CBPC.