Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06328699

Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation to Improve Spiritual Care of Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation

This clinical trial tests the feasibility, implementation and acceptability of chaplain delivered compassion meditation in order to improve spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation. Hospital chaplains play a vital role in delivering emotional and spiritual care to a broad range of both religious and non-religious patients for a wide variety of stressors, and extensive research indicates that spiritual consults impact patient outcomes and satisfaction. Compassion meditation is a secularized, research-based mindfulness and compassion meditation program designed to expand and strengthen compassion for self and others. Practices include training in attentional stability and increased emotional awareness, as well as targeted reflections to appreciate one's relationship with self and others. By centering the mind, controlling debilitating ruminative thoughts, and cultivating personal resiliency and an inclusive and more accurate understanding of others. Engaging in chaplain delivered compassion meditation may improve the spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Lymphoma Blood Protein Disorders Cardiovascular Diseases Hematologic Diseases Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases Hemorrhagic Disorders Hemostatic Disorders Immune System Diseases Immunoproliferative Disorders Lymphatic Diseases Lymphoproliferative Disorders Multiple Myeloma Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms, Plasma Cell Paraproteinemias Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To examine the feasibility, adoption, extent of implementation, acceptability and fidelity of chaplain-delivered compassion-centered spiritual health (CCSH).

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive chaplain-led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions over 30 minutes, twice per week for up to 2 weeks.

ARM II: Patients receive a traditional chaplain consultation and care upon request, per standard of care.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 80-100 days and 6 months post treatment.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • PATIENT: Within 6 weeks of scheduled hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
  • PATIENT: > 18 years of age
  • PATIENT: Speak and read English
  • CHAPLAIN: Emory Healthcare chaplain

Exclusion criteria

  • PATIENT: Patients will be excluded if they are cognitively impaired, on a ventilator, or are in a room requiring enteric precautions or airborne precautions (e.g., use of an N-95 mask requiring fit-testing) to enter
  • CHAPLAIN: There will be no exclusion criteria and no consequence to the chaplains for refusing to volunteer

Treatment and study plan

Spiritual Therapy

Procedure

Undergo chaplain led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions

Best Practice

Other

Receive a traditional chaplain consultation and will receive care upon request

Other names: best practice, standard of care, standard of care, standard therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility - patient enrollment and treatment-specific retention rates

    Time frame: Up to 8 months

    Will measure and characterize the proportion of eligible patient screens who enroll and treatment-specific retention rates.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient Characteristics Affecting Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey

    Time frame: Up to 8 months

    We will examine whether scores on the chaplain satisfaction survey vary based on patient sociodemographic variables (biological sex, race)

  2. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant [FACT-BMT]

    Time frame: Up to 8 months

    Impact of chaplain-delivered compassion-centered spiritual health on quality of life

  3. Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey

    Time frame: Up to 8 months

    Will administer a post- chaplain-based compassion treatment (CBCT) intervention using chaplain satisfaction survey and will ask patients after each session if they would like to continue receiving CBCT sessions.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emory University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Registry information

Official study title

Randomized Pilot Study of Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation for Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2026
First posted
Mar 25, 2024
Registry last updated
Aug 15, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.