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ARTICLE | November 22, 1995

A Controlled Trial to Improve Care for Seriously III Hospitalized Patients: Title and subTitle BreakThe Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatments (SUPPORT) FREE

Alfred F. Connors, Jr, MD; Neal V. Dawson, MD; Norman A. Desbiens, MD; William J. Fulkerson, Jr, MD; Lee Goldman, MD, MPH; William A. Knaus, MD; Joanne Lynn, MD; Robert K. Oye, MD; William A. Knaus, MD; Joanne Lynn, MD; Marilyn Bergner, PhD; Anne Damiano, ScD; Rosemarie Hakim, PhD; Donald J. Murphy, MD; Joan Teno, MD; Beth Virnig, PhD; Douglas P. Wagner, PhD; Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH; Yutaka Yasui, PhD; Detra K. Robinson, MA; Barbara Kreling, BA; Jennie Dulac, BSN, RN; Rose Baker, MSHyg; Sam Holayel, BS; Thomas Meeks, BA; Mazen Mustafa, MS; Juan Vegarra, BS; Carlos Alzola, MS; Frank E. Harrell, Jr, PhD; Lee Goldman, MD, MPH; E. Francis Cook, ScD; Mary Beth Hamel, MD; Lynn Peterson, MD; Russell S. Phillips, MD; Joel Tsevat, MD; Lachlan Forrow, MD; Linda Lesky, MD; Roger Davis, ScD; Nancy Kressin, MS,; Jeanmarie Solzan, BA; Ann Louise Puopolo, BSN, RN; Laura Quimby Barrett, BSN, RN; Nora Bucko, BSN, RN; Deborah Brown, MSN, RN; Maureen Burns, BSN, RN; Cathy Foskett, BSN, RN; Amy Hozid, BSN, RN; Carol Keohane, BSN, RN; Colleen Martinez, BSN, RN; Dorcie McWeeney, BSN, RN; Debra Melia, BSN, RN; Shelley Otto, MSN, RN; Kathy Sheehan, BSN, RN; Alice Smith, BSN, RN; Lauren Tofias, MS, RN; Bernice Arthur, BA; Carol Collins, BA; Mary Cunnion, BA; Deborah Dyer, BA; Corinne Kulak, BS; Mary Michaels, BA; Maureen O'Keefe, BA; Marian Parker, AB, MBA; Lauren Tuchin, BA; Dolly Wax, BA; Diana Weld, BA; Liz Hiltunen, MS, RN, CS; Georgie Marks, MS, MEd, RN; Nancy Mazzapica, MSN, RN; Cindy Medich, MS, RN; Jane Soukup, MS; William J. Fulkerson, Jr, MD; Robert M. Califf, MD; Anthony N. Galanos, MD; Peter Kussin, MD; Lawrence H. Muhlbaier, PhD; Maria Winchell, MS; Lee Mallatratt, RN; Ella Akin, BA; Lynne Belcher, RN; Elizabeth Buller, BSN, RN; Eileen Clair, RN; Laura Drew, BSN, RN; Libby Fogelman, BSN, RN; Dianna Frye, BSN, RN; Beth Fraulo, BSN, RN; Debbie Gessner, BSN, RN; Jill Hamilton, BSN, RN; Kendra Kruse, BSN, RN; Dawn Landis, BSN, RN; Louise Nobles, BSN, RN; Rene Oliverio, BSN, RN; Carroll Wheeler, BSN, RN; Nancy Banks, MA; Steven Berry, BA; Monie Clayton; Patricia Hartwell, MAT; Nan Hubbard; Isabel Kussin, BA; Barbara Norman, BA; Jackie Noveau, BSN; Heather Read, BA; Barbara Warren, MSW; Jane Castle, MSN, RN; Beth Fraulo, BSN, RN; Rene Oliverio, BSN, RN; Kathy Turner, MSN, RN; Rosalie Perdue; Alfred F. Connors, Jr, MD; Neal V. Dawson, MD; Claudia Coulton, PhD; C. Seth Landefeld, MD; Theodore Speroff, PhD; Stuart Youngner, MD; Mary J. Kennard, MSN; Mary Naccaratto, MSN; Mary Jo Roach, PhD; Maria Blinkhorn, RN; Cathy Corrigan, RNC; Elsie Geric, RN; Laura Haas, RN; Jennifer Ham, RN; Julie Jerdonek, RN; Marilyn Landy, RN; Elaine Marino, RN; Patti Olesen, RN; Sherry Patzke, RN; Linda Repas, RN; Kathy Schneeberger, RN; Carolyn Smith, RN; Colleen Tyler, RN; Mary Zenczak, RN; Helen Anderson, BA; Pat Carolin; Cindy Johnson, BA; Pat Leonard, BA; Judy Leuenberger; Linda Palotta, BA; Millie Warren; Jane Finley, RN; Toni Ross, RN; Gillian Solem, MSN; Sue Zronek, RN; Sara Davis, BS; Norman A. Desbiens, MD; Steven Broste, MS; Peter Layde, MD, MSc; Michael Kryda, MD; Douglas J. Reding, MD; Humberto J. Vidaillet, Jr, MD; Marilyn Folien, RN, MSN; Patsy Mowery, BBA; Barbara E. Backus; Debra L. Kempf, BSN; Jill M. Kupfer; Karen E. Maassen, LPN; Jean M. Rohde, LPN; Nancy L. Wilke; Sharon M. Wilke, LPN; Elizabeth A. Albee, BA; Barbara Backus; Angela M. Franz, BS; Diana L. Henseler; Juanita A. Herr; Irene Leick; Carol L. Lezotte, BS; Laura Meddaugh; Linda Duffy, RN, MSN; Debrah Johnson, RN, BSN; Susan Kronenwetter, RN, BSN; Anne Merkel, RN, BSN; Robert K. Oye, MD; Paul E. Bellamy, MD; Jonathan Hiatt, MD; Neil S. Wenger, MD, MPH; Margaret Leal-Sotelo, MSW; Darice Moranville-Hawkins, RN, MN; Patricia Sheehan, RN; Diane Watanabe, MS; Myrtle C. Yamamoto, RN; Allison Adema, RN; Ellen Adkins, RN; Ann-Marie Beckson, RN; Mona Carter, RN; Ellen Duerr, RN; Ayam El-Hadad, RN, MN; Ann Farber, RN, MA; Ann Jackson, RN; John Justice, RN; Agnes O'Meara, RN; Lee Benson; Lynette Cheney; Carlo Medina; Jane Moriarty; Kay Baker, RN, MN; Cleine Marsden, RN, MN; Kara Watne, RN, MPH; Diane Goya, MA; Alfred F. Connors, Jr, MD; Norman Desbiens, MD; William J. Fulkerson, MD; Frank E. Harrell, Jr, PhD; William A. Knaus, MD; Joanne Lynn, MD; Robert K. Oye, MD; Russell S. Phillips, MD; Charles C. J. Carpenter, MD; Ronald A. Carson, PhD; Don E. Detmer, MD; Donald E. Steinwachs, PhD; Vincent Mor, PhD; Robert A. Harootyan, MS, MA; Alex Leaf, MD; Rosalyn Watts, EdD, RN; Sankey Williams, MD; David Ransohoff, MD

[+] Author Affiliations

A complete list of the SUPPORT principal investigators and collaborators appears at the end of this article.

The opinions and findings contained in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or their Board of Trustees.

Reprint requests to ICU Research Unit, Box 600, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908 (William A. Knaus, MD).

JAMA. 1995;274(20):1591-1598. doi:10.1001/jama.1995.03530200027032

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ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT | REFERENCES

Objectives. —To improve end-of-life decision making and reduce the frequency of a mechanically supported, painful, and prolonged process of dying.

Design. —A 2-year prospective observational study (phase I) with 4301 patients followed by a 2-year controlled clinical trial (phase II) with 4804 patients and their physicians randomized by specialty group to the intervention group (n=2652) or control group (n=2152).

Setting. —Five teaching hospitals in the United States.

Patients. —A total of 9105 adults hospitalized with one or more of nine life-threatening diagnoses; an overall 6-month mortality rate of 47%.

Intervention. —Physicians in the intervention group received estimates of the likelihood of 6-month survival for every day up to 6 months, outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and functional disability at 2 months. A specially trained nurse had multiple contacts with the patient, family, physician, and hospital staff to elicit preferences, improve understanding of outcomes, encourage attention to pain control, and facilitate advance care planning and patient-physician communication.

Results. —The phase I observation documented shortcomings in communication, frequency of aggressive treatment, and the characteristics of hospital death: only 47% of physicians knew when their patients preferred to avoid CPR; 46% of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders were written within 2 days of death; 38% of patients who died spent at least 10 days in an intensive care unit (ICU); and for 50% of conscious patients who died in the hospital, family members reported moderate to severe pain at least half the time. During the phase II intervention, patients experienced no improvement in patient-physician communication (eg, 37% of control patients and 40% of intervention patients discussed CPR preferences) or in the five targeted outcomes, ie, incidence or timing of written DNR orders (adjusted ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 0.90 to 1.15), physicians' knowledge of their patients'preferences not to be resuscitated (adjusted ratio, 1.22; 95% Cl, 0.99 to 1.49), number of days spent in an ICU, receiving mechanical ventilation, or comatose before death (adjusted ratio, 0.97; 95% Cl, 0.87 to 1.07), or level of reported pain (adjusted ratio, 1.15; 95% Cl, 1.00 to 1.33). The intervention also did not reduce use of hospital resources (adjusted ratio, 1.05; 95% Cl, 0.99 to 1.12).

Conclusions. —The phase I observation of SUPPORT confirmed substantial shortcomings in care for seriously ill hospitalized adults. The phase II intervention failed to improve care or patient outcomes. Enhancing opportunities for more patient-physician communication, although advocated as the major method for improving patient outcomes, may be inadequate to change established practices. To improve the experience of seriously ill and dying patients, greater individual and societal commitment and more proactive and forceful measures may be needed.(JAMA. 1995;274:1591-1598)

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

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