Code Status Discussions With Medical In-patientsCODE-EMRSNCT07405710
Use of the Electronic Medical Record to Screen Code Status Preference Using Death Language
A study testing Death language in people with Code Status Discussions With Medical In-patients, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
In order to systematically improve code status communication and documentation while clarifying how providers understand code status decisions, we propose the Choice of Diction's Effect Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Study Inpatient (CODE-EMRS.I) with 3 aims: Aim 1 - Determine rate of patient utilization of code… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 65 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Code Status Discussions With Medical In-patients
- What is being tested?
- Death language
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 118 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Feb 2026to 30 Jun 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 65 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age >65, English-fluency in reading and speaking, and the capacity to consent
Who cannot join
- Requiring ICU-level care
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901
Karthik Kota, MD MPH, 732-235-7112, karthik.kota@rutgers.edu
About this study
Official title: Choice of Diction's Effect: Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Status Inpatient
In order to systematically improve code status communication and documentation while clarifying how providers understand code status decisions, we propose the Choice of Diction's Effect Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Study Inpatient (CODE-EMRS.I) with 3 aims: Aim 1 - Determine rate of patient utilization of code status invitation (research) via the Portal (Hypothesis 1: Participants with an existing Portal are more likely to participate in research than new signups); Aim 2 - Evaluate different phrasings in code status prompts with and without death language (Hypothesis 2: Participants are more likely to pick no code with death language than without); Aim 3 - Determine how objective data drives physician agreement on code status decision (Hypothesis 3: Physicians are more likely to disagree with full code decisions for poor GO-FAR, but not CCI). Participants will fill out all study questionnaires electronically, but have options within these to ask to speak to a study physician/their own physician for clarification. After completing the surveys, the research associate will deliver the patient's code status decision to the attending of record and ask their views on it. Once a week, participants who have expressed interest in the study (by clicking the "I am interested" button) but have not completed the study will receive a reminder to complete the study as well as an offer to withdraw from the study in that same communication.
- Being tested
- Death language
- Keywords
- Code status, CPR, EMR, Death language
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Death languageBehavioural
We will explicitly mention death when letting the participant know about CPR
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental/Death language | Experimental | Participants will be asked:
The purpose of this trial is to understand how the words we use to describe CPR affect patient decisions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed when the heart stops beating. It consists of electric shocks to the heart, pumping the chest to circulate blood, and using a breathing machine to help with breathing. The success rate of CPR is about 1 in 7, and even when the heart restarts, the brain and other organs can be damaged. If your heart were to stop beating and you were to die without resuscitation, would you prefer that we attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or would you prefer that we do not resuscitate (DNR)? Receives: Behavioral: Death language |
| Standard/non-death language | No intervention | Participants will be asked: The purpose of this trial is to understand how the words we use to describe CPR affect patient decisions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed when the heart stops beating. It consists of electric shocks to the heart, pumping the chest to circulate blood, and using a breathing machine to help with breathing. The success rate of CPR is about 1 in 7, and even when the heart restarts, the brain and other organs can be damaged. If your heart were to stop beating, would you prefer that we attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or would you prefer that we do not resuscitate (DNR)? |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Code status decision
Measured: At enrollment
Physician of record decision for and agreement with code status
Measured: Within 24 hours of patient decision
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Feb 2026
- Study start9 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Code Status Discussions With Medical In-patientsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 118 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Karthik Joshua Kota, MD MPH, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Investigators
- Karthik J Kota, MD MPH, Principal investigator, Assistant Professor of Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07405710
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro2025000307
- Acronym
- CODE-EMRS
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 12 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: De-identified individual participant data will be made available upon request to the Department of Medicine and approval of the data elements by appropriate regulatory elements in the Department
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Choice of Diction's Effect: Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Status Inpatient
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07405710
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CODE-EMRS / Pro2025000307
- Keywords
- Code status, CPR, EMR, Death language
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 118 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
In order to systematically improve code status communication and documentation while clarifying how providers understand code status decisions, we propose the Choice of Diction's Effect Electronic Measures of Resuscitation Study Inpatient (CODE-EMRS.I) with 3 aims: Aim 1 - Determine rate of patient utilization of code status invitation (research) via the Portal (Hypothesis 1: Participants with an existing Portal are more likely to participate in research than new signups); Aim 2 - Evaluate different phrasings in code status prompts with and without death language (Hypothesis 2: Participants are more likely to pick no code with death language than without); Aim 3 - Determine how objective data drives physician agreement on code status decision (Hypothesis 3: Physicians are more likely to disagree with full code decisions for poor GO-FAR, but not CCI). Participants will fill out all study questionnaires electronically, but have options within these to ask to speak to a study physician/their own physician for clarification. After completing the surveys, the research associate will deliver the patient's code status decision to the attending of record and ask their views on it. Once a week, participants who have expressed interest in the study (by clicking the "I am interested" button) but have not completed the study will receive a reminder to complete the study as well as an offer to withdraw from the study in that same communication.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental/Death language | Experimental | Behavioral: Death languageParticipants will be asked: The purpose of this trial is to understand how the words we use to describe CPR affect patient decisions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed when the heart stops beating. It consists of electric shocks to the heart, pumping the chest to circulate blood, and using a breathing machine to help with breathing. The success rate of CPR is about 1 in 7, and even when the heart restarts, the brain and other organs can be damaged. If your heart were to stop beating and you were to die without resuscitation, would you prefer that we attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or would you prefer that we do not resuscitate (DNR)? |
| Standard/non-death language | No intervention | –Participants will be asked: The purpose of this trial is to understand how the words we use to describe CPR affect patient decisions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed when the heart stops beating. It consists of electric shocks to the heart, pumping the chest to circulate blood, and using a breathing machine to help with breathing. The success rate of CPR is about 1 in 7, and even when the heart restarts, the brain and other organs can be damaged. If your heart were to stop beating, would you prefer that we attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or would you prefer that we do not resuscitate (DNR)? |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 65 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Age >65, English-fluency in reading and speaking, and the capacity to consent
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Requiring ICU-level care
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Death languageWe will explicitly mention death when letting the participant know about CPR | Behavioural | Experimental/Death language |
Primary outcome
Code status decision
Time frame: At enrollment
Physician of record decision for and agreement with code status
Time frame: Within 24 hours of patient decision
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. De-identified individual participant data will be made available upon request to the Department of Medicine and approval of the data elements by appropriate regulatory elements in the Department
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Karthik J Kota, MD MPH principal investigator
Assistant Professor of Medicine
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Death language in people with Code Status Discussions With Medical In-patients, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Karthik J Kota, MD MPH (732-235-7112, karthik.kota@rutgers.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Code status decision (time frame: At enrollment). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Feb 2026.