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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03035448

Communication Strategies to Introduce Psychology Services

The goal of this research study is to learn about advanced cancer patients' preferences about how psychology services are introduced.

This is an investigational study.

Up to 110 participants will be enrolled in this study. All will take part at MD Anderson.

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Key information

Conditions

Malignant Neoplasms of Independent (Primary) Multiple Sites Disease Attributes Neoplasm Metastasis Neoplasms Neoplastic Processes Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Recurrence

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

About this study

If you agree to take part in this study, during an already-scheduled office visit, you will complete 3 questionnaires about your symptoms, your emotional health, and if you have ever participated in psychiatric or psychology services. These questionnaires should take about 9 minutes to complete.

All participants will watch 2 short videos. The videos show actors playing a doctor, counselor, and patient, discussing psychology service options. Each video is about 1 minute and 30 seconds long and will discuss the same material, but the content of each video will be different. The order in which they are presented will be randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin). You will have an equal chance of seeing either video first.

After you watch the second video, you will complete 3 questionnaires about whether you think 1 of the videos was better than the other, and about your attitude toward psychology services. These questionnaires should take about 4 minutes to complete.

Length of Study:

It should take about 16 minutes to watch both videos and to complete all questionnaires. Your participation on this study will be over after you have completed the last questionnaire.

Other Information:

We will ask your caregiver(s) to leave the room while the videos are played. In case they decide to stay, we will ask them to keep silent.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age >/= 18 years-old
  • Can speak, read, and understand English
  • Diagnosis of locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease
  • Patients treated as outpatients by the supportive and palliative care team
  • Normal cognitive status as determined by the interviewer based on the ability to understand the nature of the study and consent process

Exclusion criteria

  • Previous psychological counseling received in supportive care department
  • Patients with severe symptom distress as assessed by nursing staff

Treatment and study plan

Questionnaires

Behavioral

Participants complete 3 assessment questionnaires during an already-scheduled office visit. These questionnaires should take about 9 minutes to complete.

Participant completes 3 questionnaires after watching the second video about whether they think 1 of the videos was better than the other, and about their attitude toward psychology services. These questionnaires should take about 4 minutes to complete.

Other names: Surveys

Video Presentation

Other

Participant watches 2 videos showing actors playing a doctor, counselor, and patient, discussing psychology service options.

Primary outcomes

  1. Participant's Video Preference of Strategies in Introducing Psychology Services in a Palliative Care Setting

    Time frame: Day 1

    Participants asked the preference to the introduction of counselor. The possible answers are The First Video, The Second Video, Neither, or No Difference. The actual content of the answers will be decoded by the study team at the end of the study to "Counselor Alone" or "MD + Counselor" depending on each patient's assigned arm.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Communication Strategies to Introduce Psychology Services in the Palliative Care Setting

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jan 30, 2017
Registry last updated
Oct 12, 2023

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.

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