Recruiting

FOCUS Guide

Sponsor:

University of Utah

Code:

NCT07664514

Conditions

Surgery

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

FOCUS Guide

Study Details

Brief summary:

The Facilitating Goal-based Conversations for Understanding Surgery (FOCUS) Guide is a communication intervention designed to support discussion and documentation of the goal for surgery during outpatient surgical consultations. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of the FOCUS guide in prompting discussion of the goal for surgery.

Conditions

Surgery

Study ID

NCT07664514

Start date

Aug 29, 2026

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

May, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

May, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

For surgeons

1\. Surgeons who have regular outpatient clinics at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute

For patients:

1. Age ≥65 years.
2. Presenting for in-person outpatient consultation regarding major non-urgent surgery with an enrolled surgeon.
3. Ability to provide informed consent.
4. English-speaking.

Exclusion Criteria:

For surgeons

1. Surgeons with a predominantly pediatric practice
2. Transplant surgeons

For patients

1. Anticipated life expectancy <3 months.
2. Inability to complete study procedures.
3. Patients presenting for minor procedures or non-operative consultations.
4. Telehealth consultation
5. Any clinical, cognitive, communication, or logistical factor that, in the opinion of the treating surgeon or investigator, would substantially interfere with participation or completion of study procedures.

Study Design

Enrollment

180 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Sequential

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

no intervention: Pre-intervention cohort

Patients in the pre-intervention group will undergo surgical consultations according to usual care.

experimental: Post-intervention cohort

Patients in the post-intervention group will undergo surgical consultations using the FOCUS Guide.

Interventions

FOCUS Guide

The FOCUS Guide is a communication intervention designed to support discussion and documentation of the goal for surgery during outpatient surgical consultations.

Primary outcome measure

  • Goal Discussion [ Time Frame: During the surgical consultation ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Sierra McNall, BS

801-213-6543Sierra.McNall@hsc.utah.edu

Jordan Johnson, MPH

801-646-7393jordan.esplin@hsc.utah.edu

Locations

University of Utah Hospital

Recruiting

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132

Contacts

Jessica N Cohan, MD

805-441-7886jessica.cohan@hsc.utah.edu

Sierra McNall, BS

801-213-6543sierra.mcnall@hsc.utah.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Utah

Last update posted

Nov 2, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Surgery
  • Goals
  • Communication guide

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-11-03. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Utah on 2026-11-02. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.