Intervention Study of Communication in Oncologist-Patient Encounters
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Advanced Cancer
In brief
The overall goal of this study is to improve communication between patients with advanced cancer and their oncologists. A web-based communication intervention will be delivered to patients to help them to express their negative emotions and elicit empathic responses from their oncologists. The specific aims are to: AIM 1: Develop a web-based intervention that trains patients with advanced cancer to express their emotional concerns to their oncologists and to request emotional support during clinical encounters. AIM 2: Test whether this intervention can increase patient expression of emotional concerns and requests for emotional support, as well as improve patient affect by decreasing negative emotions.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00994578
- Run by
- Duke University
- People needed
- 659
- Starts
- 2010-11-01
- Expected to finish
- 2014-04-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2014-09-12
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- speak English;
- have a diagnosis of advanced cancer (Stage IV or however defined for that disease group), metastatic disease, or refractory or recurrent illness;
- have access to a telephone; and,
- have regular access to a computer with broadband Internet service and an email account.
You may not qualify if…
- incompetent for interview (documented diagnosis of active psychosis or dementia) or unable to provide informed consent as assessed by the interviewer;
- hearing impaired or have a speech disorder;
- physically impaired in such a way that precludes the use of a computer;
- simply too sick to participate, and cannot realistically participate in the interview, as judged by the research assistant; or
- does not have another appointment with an enrolled oncologist within three months.
- has dial-up Internet service, or
- does not meet IES Score.
- While only patient subjects with advanced cancer will be eligible for randomization into one of the study arms, healthy volunteers (providers and third parties) will be enrolled in the study, too. Patients will be recruited from the practices of participating oncologists; therefore, physicians will be enrolled prior to their patients. All medical, surgical and radiation oncology faculty and hematology/oncology fellows who see patients in the participating clinics will be eligible for the study. We also will enroll the mid-level providers (i.e., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) who work with many of these oncologists and any third party (friends, family members) who comes to clinic with the enrolled patient.
Where it is running
- Duke University Health System — Durham, North Carolina, United States
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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