Improving Clinician Communication Skills (ICCS)

Completed · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Advanced Cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Restrictive Lung Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, End Stage Liver Disease

In brief

This research study is a randomized trial to evaluate a training program that is designed to improve the communication skills of clinicians. The training program focuses on care for patients with serious illnesses and their family members, and assesses effectiveness using patient and family outcomes. The long term goal of this research is to improve communication skills of doctors and nurses, thereby improving patient and family outcomes.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00687349

Run by

University of Washington

People needed

6086

Starts

2007-04-01

Expected to finish

2013-03-01

Last updated by the study team

2014-09-16

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Physician:
• all internal medicine residents at either University of Washington (UW)or the Medical University of South Carolina
• who have a clinical rotation allowing implementation of the intervention.
• NP Student:
• All NP Students at UW or MUSC
• in programs that train them to work with the following patient types:
• Adult patents with Cancer or other chronic, life-limiting illnesses
• Older Adults
• Adults Primary Care Patients
• Patient:
• One or more of the following diagnostic criteria:
• Advanced Cancer;
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with FEV1 values < 35% predicted and/or oxygen dependent;
• Restrictive lung disease with a TLC < 50% predicted;
• Congestive heart failure with an ejection fraction <30% or functional deficits matching New York Heart Association Class III or IV heart failure;
• End stage liver disease including Child's Class C cirrhosis, MELD score ≥ 18, a variceal bleed, refractory ascites, or spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP);
• a Charlson Comorbidity Score point value ≥6;
• in-patients with a University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Risk of Mortality score of major or extreme;
• OR hospitalized patients ≥ 80 years.
• Family:
• The ability to speak English well enough to be able to complete the study procedures
• AND no significant dementia or delirium that would limit the family member's ability to complete instruments.
• Nurse-evaluators:
• are working in the hospital or clinic with the resident or NP student enrolled in the study.

You may not qualify if…

• less than 18 years,
• significant dementia, delirium, or psychosis;
• the inability to speak English well enough to be able to complete the study procedures.

Where it is running

• Medical University of South Carolina — Charleston, South Carolina, United States
• University of Washington; Harborview Medical Center — Seattle, Washington, United States
• Veteran's Affairs Puget Sound HCS — Seattle, Washington, United States
• University of Washington; UW Medical Center — Seattle, Washington, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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