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NCT Number: NCT07574281

Effectiveness and Implementation of the DINKNESH Digital Palliative Care Tool in Ethiopia

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital health app called DINKNESH is effective for palliative care identification compared to traditional paper-based assessment tools. It will also look at the factors that help or hinder the use of this app in primary care settings.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the DINKNESH app improve palliative care assessments compared to paper forms?

What are the main barriers and facilitators for Health Extension Workers when using the app in their daily work?

We will compare the DINKNESH app to standard paper-based tools to see if digital tools improve clinical assessment and implementation.

Participants will:

Be assessed for palliative care needs using either the DINKNESH mobile app or standard paper forms.

Receive routine follow-up care as determined by their health provider.

(For health workers): Participate in interviews or surveys to discuss their experience using the assigned assessment tool.

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Key information

Conditions

Palliative Care

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • For patients(Quantitative Part):
  • Adults aged 18 years or older
  • Currently diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions and receiving home-based follow-up care from a participating Family Health Team within the catchment area of a selected study cluster
  • Willing to provide verbal informed consent, or has a primary caregiver willing to provide proxy consent
  • For healthcare workers:
  • Staff members of the Family Health Team at the selected clusters
  • Involved in delivering or supervising palliative care services during the study period
  • For the qualitative part: Participated in the DINKNESH App implementation process and is willing to participate in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD)

Exclusion criteria

  • For patients
  • Patients whose clinical condition prevents both self-participation and proxy participation in the assessment process
  • Patients already formally identified and referred for palliative care prior to the study period
  • For healthcare workers:
  • Staff members planning to be absent for more than 1 day during the six-week active study period
  • Healthworkers not present during the training session

Treatment and study plan

DINKNESH App

Other

A mobile-based digital health application designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. The application digitizes validated clinical tools, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) along with reference materials

Paper based tool

Other

A paper-based clinical assessment protocol designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. It incorporates the same validated clinical tools used in the intervention arm, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS), administered manually during routine home visits without the use of a digital application and reference material.

Primary outcomes

  1. Rate of identification of patients with palliative care needs.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

    The primary outcome is the rate of palliative care identifications, calculated as the number of individuals identified as requiring palliative care divided by the total number of chronic patient visit conducted by the Family Health Teams during the study period.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Qualitative assessment of implementation barriers and enablers.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

    Evaluation of implementation determinants (barriers and facilitators) through focus group discussions with health extension workers

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Meheret Amare, Doctor of Medicine

CONTACT

[email protected]

+251919373034

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Addis Ababa University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness and Implementation Determinants of the DINKNESH App Compared to Paper-Based Assessment Tools for Palliative Care: A Mixed-Methods Cluster Randomized Trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
May 7, 2026
Registry last updated
May 7, 2026

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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