Evaluation of the PACT Mobile App to Support Advance Care Planning in Adults with Advanced Cancer

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a new mobile health application called Planning Advance Care Together PACT to support people with advanced cancer in discussing and planning their care preferences with loved ones and doctors. This study focuses on patients with poor prognosis advanced cancer, including locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors, relapsed or refractory hematologic cancers, and those who have experienced disease progression after at least first-line systemic therapy. The goal is to enhance advance care planning by involving the patients social network. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group uses the PACT mobile app for up to four weeks and receives a single check-in phone call during the study. The other group continues with standard care without any changes for the same period. After the intervention phase, all participants are followed up at three and six months to assess ongoing effects. During the study, participants complete questionnaires and provide feedback on usability, acceptability, and engagement with the app when applicable. Researchers track measures such as accrual rates, intervention completion, user satisfaction, time spent on the app, and changes in advance care planning conversations and documentation. Secondary outcomes include changes in treatment preferences, healthcare use, goal-concordant care, social support, and family functioning. The study lasts at least six months from intervention start to final follow-up.

Mobile Health Application (PACT) to Improve Engagement in Advance Care Planning