Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03671382

Communication During Medical Consultations in Singapore -Pilot

Despite advanced cancer patients and their caregivers frequently experiencing psychological distress and wanting to know about their prognosis, oncologists rarely respond with empathy and provide adequate information regarding patient prognosis. We aim to address the communication gap during consultations by developing an Oncologist E-Learning Communications Skills Training Program guiding physicians on how to recognize and respond to patient/caregiver distress and to disclose prognosis; and a Patient Prompt Sheet to encourage discussions of psychological distress and prognosis. We will assess the feasibility of delivering this two-component intervention program within a cancer center in Singapore through a 2-arm randomized controlled trial in which 8 oncologists will be randomly assigned to Control Arm (n=4) and Intervention Arm (n=4). Oncologists in the intervention arm will receive the E-Learning Program. Their patients will also receive the Patient Prompt Sheet before their consultation with oncologist. After completion of oncologist intervention we will audio-record and survey 3 patients with Stage IV cancer and their caregivers per oncologist before and after their consultations. If the study is shown to be feasible and acceptable, then its effectiveness will be assessed in a larger trial.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Communication Research Neoplasms

Age range

21 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Cancer Centre Singapore

Singapore, 169610

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

The inclusion criteria for oncologists are

  • All consultants and senior residents/registrars in the Departments of Medical Oncology at National Cancer Centre, Singapore
  • Able to allow audio-recording during consultation

The inclusion criteria for patients are

  • Age ≥ 21 years old
  • Patients who are consulting an oncologist who is participating in the study
  • Patients who are Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Diagnosis of stage IV cancer (with metastasis to visceral organs)
  • Able to allow audio-recording during consultation

Exclusion criteria

The exclusion criteria for oncologists are

a. Rejecting audio-recording during consultation

The exclusion criteria for patients are

  • Age ≤ 21 years old
  • Patients who are not Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Rejecting audio-recording during consultation
  • Patients with psychiatric or cognitive disorder.

Treatment and study plan

Communication Training Program and Patient Prompt Sheet

Behavioral

The intervention being delivered is a two-component intervent. First component is the Oncologist Communication Skills Training Program. This is an e-learning module teaching oncologists to recognize and respond to patient/caregiver distress, provide information including prognosis and discuss goals of care. The second component is a patient prompt sheet which will be administered to three patients of intervention arm oncologists in the waiting area at least 30 minutes before their consultation. The sheet includes structured questions for patients to ask the oncologist about diagnosis and prognosis and will prompt patients to label and express their emotions in a direct manner.

Primary outcomes

  1. Assess feasibility and acceptability of intervention

    Time frame: up to 3 months

    Measured by proportion of intervention arm oncologists completing their intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Assess increase in number of empathic statements by oncologists

    Time frame: within 5 months

    Measured by coding audio-recorded consultations post-intervention

  2. Assess increase in number of questions related to their prognosis asked by patients

    Time frame: within 5 months

    Measured by coding audio-recorded consultations post-intervention

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Training Oncologists and Empowering Patients in Affective Communication During Medical Consultations in Singapore (TEAMS) - A Pilot Study

Acronym: TEAMS-pilot

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Sep 14, 2018
Registry last updated
Feb 8, 2019

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.