Recruiting

AI Assisted Legacy Program for Serious Illness Patients

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What is being tested

AI Assisted Personalized Legacy Program

Behavioral
Who is being recruted

Serious Illness

+ Existential Distress
Over 18 Years

See all eligibility criteria

How is the trial designed

Supportive Care Study

Interventional
Study Start: August 2025

See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorMayo Clinic
Study ContactMelissa Felt
Last updated: September 16, 2025
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: August 11, 2025Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

This study is exploring a new kind of therapy program for people dealing with serious illnesses. The program uses artificial intelligence to help create a "legacy" document, which is a personal reflection of the patient's life. The goal is to help ease emotional distress and provide comfort by allowing patients to think about and share their life stories with loved ones. This can be especially important for patients who want to leave something meaningful for their family and friends. The study is being conducted at several locations under the Mayo Clinic and is considered to be low risk for participants. Participants in the study will work with a trained facilitator to talk about their life experiences and memories. These conversations are recorded and turned into a written document. The facilitator helps the patient review and edit the document to ensure it accurately reflects their thoughts and feelings. The final "legacy" document is then given to the patient to keep and share with their loved ones. This process is designed to be safe and supportive, providing emotional benefits to the participants by helping them create a tangible legacy.

Official TitleFeasibility and Acceptability of AI Assisted Personalized Legacy Program (Reflections: My Story) for Patients With Serious Illness 
Principal SponsorMayo Clinic
Study ContactMelissa Felt
Last updated: September 16, 2025
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
40 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Supportive Care Study
These studies explore ways to improve comfort and daily life for people living with a condition. They may focus on easing symptoms, reducing treatment side effects, or supporting overall well-being.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, all participants receive the same treatment. Since there is only one group, there is no need for randomization or assignment to different arms. This type of study is often used to test a new treatment without comparing it to another.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Randomized allocation: Participants are assigned randomly, like flipping a coin, to ensure fairness and reduce bias.
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.

How treatments are given to participants
In this study, all participants receive the same treatment. This approach is often used to evaluate the effects of a single intervention without comparing it to another.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Parallel assignment: Participants are split into separate groups, each receiving a different treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a non placebo-controlled study, no participants receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. Instead, all participants receive either the experimental treatment or an alternative treatment (often the Standard of Care). This method allows researchers to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of a different active intervention, rather than a placebo.

Other Options
Placebo-Controlled: A placebo is used to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of an inert substance, isolating the true treatment effect.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Everyone involved in the study knows which treatment is being given. This is typically used when it's not possible or necessary to hide the treatment details from participants or researchers.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
Over 18 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Serious Illness
Existential Distress
Criteria

Participant population: Adults with serious illness - defined as a health condition that carries a high risk of mortality Inclusion Criteria for patients: 1. Age ≥18 years 2. English fluency 3. Provide informed consent 4. Ability to complete questionnaire(s) by themselves or with assistance Exclusion Criteria: 1. Other psychological co-morbidities such as untreated schizophrenia, bipolar disease 2. Recent suicide attempt or psychiatric illness severe enough that hospitalization has been necessary in last 6 months 3. Active delirium 4. Advanced dementia 5. Participation in concurrent legacy offerings through the palliative care clinic

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
One single intervention group 

is designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups
Group I
Experimental
Study Objectives
Primary Objectives

Study feasibility will be measured by the number of participants who enrolled and finished the study.

Acceptability, as measured by the 7-item Was it Worth It (WIWI Questionnaire).The questions are answered as either "yes, no, or uncertain," overall perception of quality of life change, overall perception of study experience, one open-ended feedback question, and an option to talk with someone about concerns. Positive responses indicate acceptability. Results are reported as individual items.

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
This study has 2 locations
Recruiting
Mayo ClinicPhoenix, United StatesSee the location
Recruiting
Mayo ClinicRochester, United States
Recruiting
2 Study Centers