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Shared Decision-makingNCT07913204

Evaluating a Digital Aid to Improve ICD Decisions

A study testing Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information. and Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information. in people with Shared Decision-making, run by Stanford University at 2 sites in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Advanced heart failure, affecting 7 million Americans, has multiple causes and results in greatly increased risk of disability and death. A major problem is sudden cardiac death, when the damaged heart develops an abnormal pattern of electrical conduction that can result in cessation of heart activity. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 60 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Shared Decision-making
What is being tested?
Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information. and Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information.
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
600 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
19 Oct 2026to Feb 2028
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 60 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Meets or approximates minimal criteria for primary prevention ICD placement. ● Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) <35%.
  • Clinical diagnosis of Heart Failure:
  • Patients with severe ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and underlying NYHA
  • Class II or III Heart Failure, OR, Patients with severe nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and underlying NYHA Class II or III Heart Failure.
  • Age ≥ 70 years old.
  • Able to consent in English, Mandarin or Spanish and follow study instructions.

Who cannot join

  • Past ICD implantation (not including pacemakers).
  • Any indication for secondary prevention of SCD via ICD implantation.
  • History of mechanical valve replacement.
  • History of recent myocardial infarction within the last 40 days.
  • History of recent revascularization within the past 90 days.
  • History of familial or genetic disorders with a high-risk of ventricular arrhythmias, such as the long QT syndrome (LQTS) or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Any factors contraindicating ICD placement.
  • Less than 6 months life expectancy and other clinical consideration,
  • Unwilling or unable to consider ICD,
  • Any contraindications to ambulati

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Randall S Stafford, MD, PhD, MHS contact

650-724-2400

rstafford@stanford.edu

Darlyne Esparza contact

desparza@stanford.edu

United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
  • Eastern Carolina University

    Greenville, North Carolina, 27858

    Elizabeth Jordan, +12523286131, JORDANE22@students.ecu.edu

    Samuel Sears, PhD

    Recruiting
  • University of California, San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94143

    Daniel P Morin, MD, MPH, 415-476-4922, Daniel.Morin@ucsf.edu

    Jacqueline Furrier, 415-476-4922, Jacqueline.Furrier@ucsf.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Digital Shared Decision-Making Aid to Improve Patient-Centered Outcomes in Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) Decisions Among Older Patients, ENHANCE-ICD (SU sIRB)

Advanced heart failure, affecting 7 million Americans, has multiple causes and results in greatly increased risk of disability and death. A major problem is sudden cardiac death, when the damaged heart develops an abnormal pattern of electrical conduction that can result in cessation of heart activity. While placement of an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) in a patient's chest can help prevent sudden cardiac death, these devices have several important downsides. This protocol focuses on development of a digital decision aid that helps heart failure patients make informed decisions that balance the benefits and downsides of ICD placement. This protocol covers the use of participant surveys, focus groups, and interviews to obtain the needed background information to guide the development of this digital tool, which will be subsequently tested against usual care in a randomized clinical trial. The study design is best described as a mixed methods evaluation and refinement of a digital app to improve ICD decision-making. In the future, the present protocol will be modified to create a new protocol that covers the needed human subjects requirements for performance of this clinical trial.

Read the detailed description

Advanced heart failure, affecting 7 million Americans, has multiple causes and results in greatly increased risk of disability and death. A major problem is sudden cardiac death, when the damaged heart develops an abnormal pattern of electrical conduction that can result in cessation of heart activity. While placement of an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) in a patient's chest can help prevent sudden cardiac death, these devices have several important downsides. This protocol focuses on development of a digital decision aid that helps heart failure patients make informed decisions that balance the benefits and downsides of ICD placement. This protocol covers the use of participant surveys, focus groups, and interviews to obtain the needed background information to guide the development of this digital tool, which will be subsequently tested against usual care in a randomized clinical trial. In the future, the present protocol will be modified to create a new protocol that covers the needed human subjects requirements for performance of this clinical trial.

Participants with heart failure who agree to participate will be recorded in a REDCap system database. The investigators will document in a recruitment tracking log all potentially eligible participants found to be ineligible or who decline participation. The reason for ineligibility or reason for decline will be captured along with age, gender, and race/ethnicity. At the time of their enrollment, the investigators will collect additional information from each participant about their employment status (full-time or part-time employment, no employment, retired), education (no postsecondary education, some postsecondary education), household size (living alone, living with at least one other person).

Participants with heart failure will be asked if they are willing to be interviewed, participate in focus groups, or complete surveys to determine their views on 1) which elements of patient outcome questionnaires are important to them; 2) which decision aid components or educational tools they like or find valuable. Interactions with participants will include open-ended interviews, focus groups, and surveys. These interviews, focus groups, and surveys will be conducted by study staff to help develop a patient-centric shared decision making software tool. Development will occur iteratively with new testing after any modifications. The same individuals may be asked to re-test the app following alterations.

Collaborating teams from UC San Francisco (Site PI: Daniel Morin, MD, MPH) and East Carolina University (Site PI: Samuel Sears, PhD) will join the study before the third month of operation. The participation of these clinical sites is not needed in the first steps on digital tool development. By successfully initiating the project at Stanford, the process of initiation at the clinical sites will be facilitated and is consistent with the mandated use of a single IRB for the three sites.

Being tested
Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information., Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information., Arm C - Usual Care/No Device
Keywords
Heart Failure, Patient Education, shared Decision-Making, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
Medical subject headings
Heart Failure

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information.Device

    The online, patient-facing decision-making aid will have the following features: 1) Clinical Data Input, 2) Introduction via Animated Video, 3) Common Questions, 4) Check-In Quiz, 5) Risk and Values Exploration based on patient specific information, 6) Wrap-Up, 7) Patient-Physician Worksheet, These steps will be completed by the patient in advance of a provider visit where a shared-decision making process will decide whether an ICD is an appropriate sudden cardiac death-prevention strategy to pursue.

  • Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information.Device

    The online, patient-facing decision-making aid will have the following features: 1) Clinical Data Input, 2) Introduction via Animated Video, 3) Common Questions, 4) Check-In Quiz, 5) Generic Risk and Values Exploration without patient specific information, 6) Wrap-Up, 7) Patient-Physician Worksheet, These steps will be completed by the patient in advance of a provider visit where a shared-decision making process will decide whether an ICD is an appropriate sudden cardiac death-prevention strategy to pursue.

  • Arm C - Usual Care/No DeviceOther

    Usual Care/No Device

Study groups in NCT07913204
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Arm A: Tool with personalized informationExperimentalArm Description: The participant will use the pre-visit, participant-facing app with personal risk information derived from participant characteristics. During a clinical encounter, the clinician will have access to an abbreviated clinician-facing digital tool that displays the same personalized information.
Receives: Device: Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information.
Arm B: Tool without personalized informationExperimentalArm Description: The participant will use the pre-visit, participant-facing app without personal risk information. During a clinical encounter, the clinician will have access to an abbreviated clinician-facing digital tool.
Receives: Device: Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information.
Arm C: Usual CarePlacebo comparatorArm Description: Participant will receive usual clinical care without use of the digital decision-making app.
Receives: Other: Arm C - Usual Care/No Device

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS)

    The Decisional Conflict Scale is a validated, 16-item questionnaire scale assessing whether a participant feels conflicted regarding a past medical decision. The range is 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating more conflict, a negative outcome.

    Measured: Immediately after decision-making visit as well as at 3 months.

Secondary outcomes (9)
  1. Patient Knowledge of Heart Failure and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs)

    Scale Title: PKKT-13 (13-Item Patient Knowledge Assessment)

    Outcome Measure: Patient Knowledge of Heart Failure and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs)

    Description: The PKKT-13 assesses participants' knowledge of heart failure, sudden cardiac death, ICD benefits and risks, and shared decision-making. The questionnaire consists of 13 true/false/don't know questions.

    Scoring: Each correct response receives 1 point; incorrect and "Don't Know" responses receive 0 points. Total scores range from 0 (minimum) to 13 (maximum).

    Score Interpretation: Higher scores indicate greater patient knowledge and therefore a better outcome.

    Measured: Baseline , Day 0, week 8, week 16

  2. Decision Regret Scale

    Outcome Measure Title: Decision Regret Scale (DRS)

    Outcome Measure Description: The Decision Regret Scale (DRS) is a 5-item questionnaire that measures participants' regret regarding their decision to receive or decline an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Responses are scored and transformed to a total score ranging from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). Higher scores indicate greater decision regret and therefore a worse outcome. A score of 0 indicates no regret, while a score of 100 indicates the highest level of regret.

    Measured: Day 0, week 8, week 16

  3. Preparation for Decision-Making Scale

    Outcome Measure Title: Preparation for Decision Making Scale (PDMS)

    Outcome Measure Description: The Preparation for Decision Making Scale (PDMS) is a 10-item questionnaire that measures how well educational materials and the decision-making process prepare participants to make an informed decision about receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from "Not at all" to "A great deal." The total score is calculated as the mean of the item scores, rescaled to a range of 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). Higher scores indicate greater preparation for decision-making and therefore a better outcome.

    Measured: Day 0, Week 8, week 16

  4. Weekly Physical Activity Assessed Using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for the Elderly (IPAQ-E) Short Form

    Weekly physical activity is assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for the Elderly (IPAQ-E) Short Form. Participants report the frequency (days per week) and duration (hours and minutes per day) of walking, moderate-intensity physical activity, and vigorous-intensity physical activity during the previous 7 days. Daily sitting time is also recorded. Physical activity is measured in minutes per week, calculated by multiplying the number of days by the average duration of each activity.

    For each activity category, the minimum is 0 minutes per week. The questionnaire does not specify a maximum duration or total activity score. Higher values indicate greater physical activity, generally representing a better outcome, while higher sitting time indicates greater sedentary behavior, generally representing a worse outcome.

    Measured: day 0, week 8, week 16

  5. Clinician Satisfaction with the Decision-Making Visit (CSDA)

    Clinician satisfaction with the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) decision-making visit is assessed using a clinician-completed questionnaire. Satisfaction with the patient discussion is measured using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Very dissatisfied) to 5 (Very satisfied). The minimum score is 1 and the maximum score is 5. Higher scores indicate greater clinician satisfaction and therefore a better outcome.

    Measured: day 0

  6. Patient Satisfaction with the Decision-Making Visit (PSDA)

    Patient satisfaction with the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) decision-making process is assessed using a patient-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire evaluates satisfaction with the decision-making tool, worksheet, physician discussion, quality of information received, and preparation for the visit. Satisfaction items are measured using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Very dissatisfied) to 5 (Very satisfied). The minimum score is 1 and the maximum score is 5 for each item. Higher scores indicate greater patient satisfaction and therefore a better outcome.

    Measured: day 0

  7. Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed Using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

    The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is a 36-item patient-reported questionnaire that assesses health-related quality of life across eight domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health.

    Each of the eight domains is scored on a scale ranging from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). Higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life and therefore a better outcome, while lower scores indicate poorer health-related quality of life and therefore a worse outcome.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 8, week 16

  8. Heart Failure-Related Health Status Assessed Using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12)

    The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12) is a 12-item patient-reported questionnaire that assesses heart failure-related health status and quality of life. It evaluates four domains: physical limitations, symptom frequency, quality of life, and social limitations over the previous two weeks.

    Responses are scored and transformed to a scale ranging from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). Higher scores indicate better heart failure-related health status, fewer symptoms, fewer physical and social limitations, and better quality of life, representing a better outcome. Lower scores indicate worse heart failure-related health status and greater limitations, representing a worse outcome.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 8, week 16

  9. Illness Intrusiveness Assessed Using the Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale (IIRS)

    The Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale (IIRS) is a 13-item patient-reported questionnaire that assesses the extent to which illness and its treatment interfere with daily life and activities. The instrument evaluates three domains: Relationships and Personal Development, Intimacy, and Instrumental Activities.

    Each item is rated on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (Not very much) to 7 (Very much). The total score ranges from 13 (minimum) to 91 (maximum). Higher scores indicate greater illness-related interference with daily life and therefore a worse outcome, while lower scores indicate less interference and a better outcome.

    Responses marked "Not applicable" are treated as missing, and total and subscale scores are prorated based on answered items.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 8, week 16

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Nov 2026
  2. Study start19 Oct 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionFeb 2028 (estimated)

Resources

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
Model description
Three-arm randomized, parallel clinical trial. Arm A: digital decision-making tool with personalized risk information, Arm B: digital decision-making tool without personalized risk information, and Arm C: usual clinical care without digital tool use.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
600 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07913204
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB-83551
Other IDs
R01HL173578, IRB-83551
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
15 Oct 2026
Last updated
3 Nov 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
Yes: Upon reasonable request after January 1, 2027, IPD will be provided without cost.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Arm A: Online, patient-facing decision-making aid (app) with personalized risk information. and Arm B - Online, patient-facing decision-making app without personalized risk information. in people with Shared Decision-making, run by Stanford University at 2 sites 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 6 inclusion and 10 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 3 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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 Randall S Stafford, MD, PhD, MHS (650-724-2400, rstafford@stanford.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) (time frame: Immediately after decision-making visit as well as at 3 months.). 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 3 Nov 2026.

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