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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03676920

Feasibility and Utilization of an Application-based Question Prompt List

This trial studies how well an application-based question prompt list works in improving treatment cost discussion between patients with breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer and their oncologists. An application-based question prompt list, called Discussion of Cost Application (DISCO App), may help to improve how patients and oncologists discuss cancer treatment costs.

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Key information

Conditions

Financial Toxicity Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Cancer Financial Stress Neoplasms Question Prompt List Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States

About this study

The overall goal of this research is to reduce financial toxicity related to the cost of cancer treatment in a diverse patient population. The research tests the feasibility of an application-based ("app") communication intervention designed to improve the frequency and quality of patient-oncologist treatment cost discussions during clinical interactions, which, in turn, should improve other short- and longer-term patient outcomes, including referrals to economic support (e.g., social work); efficacy in managing treatment cost; treatment cost distress; financial toxicity; and treatment adherence. If successful, this study will result in an evidence-based tool that can reduce financial toxicity and improve medical outcomes for a diverse patient population.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Medical oncologists or radiation oncologists at KCI McLaren Detroit, McLaren Flint, McLaren Macomb and McLaren Port Huron oncology centers
  • Oncologists will be eligible if they treat patients with prostate, breast, lung or colorectal cancers.
  • Oncologists will be consented
  • Patients must be 18 yrs. old or older
  • Patients will be consented
  • Patients must be able to read and write in English
  • Patients must have a confirmed diagnosis of breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer and are scheduled to see an oncologist for an initial treatment discussion.

Exclusion criteria

  • N/A

Treatment and study plan

Discussions of Cost App (DISCO App)

Behavioral

The DISCO App is an app-based and patient-focused intervention designed to improve the frequency and quality of patient-oncologist treatment cost discussions. The DISCO App allows patients to provide basic demographic information (e.g., employment status, insurance status, etc), and uses that information to provide patients with an individually-tailored list of treatment cost questions they can ask their provider.

Other names: DISCO App

Primary outcomes

  1. Patient-oncologist treatment cost discussions

    Time frame: During the treatment discussions and observed via video recordings of those discussions.

    Observational measures using video-recorded patient-oncologist treatment discussions

  2. Patient-oncologist treatment cost discussions

    Time frame: Collected immediately after the interaction with the oncologist

    Self-report measures of if and how patients and oncologists discuss treatment cost.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient financial demographics

    Time frame: Collected immediately prior to the interaction with the oncologist

    Patient financial situation (e.g., income, perceived economic burden, etc.)

  2. Change in patient treatment cost information desired and gained

    Time frame: Collected immediately prior to and immediately after the interaction with the oncologist

    What cost treatment information patients want before the interaction and if they gained it during the interaction with their oncologist.

  3. Change in patient efficacy in managing treatment cost (10-item scale). This measure will assess any change in the patients' efficacy in paying for the cost of their cancer treatment before and after the intervention.

    Time frame: Collected immediately prior to and immediately after the interaction with the oncologist

    If patients think they will be able to pay for the cost of their cancer treatment. This is adapted from a validated 10-item scale (Peterson AM, Harper FW, Albrecht TL, et al. Parent caregiver self-efficacy and child reactions to pediatric cancer treatment procedures. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. 2014;31(1):18-27.) An example item is: "I am confident I can pay for the costs of my treatment." Patients will respond to a scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5) with higher values representing a better outcome.

  4. Satisfaction with treatment cost discussions (3-item scale). This will assess the extent to which patients are satisfied with any discussions of treatment cost they had with their oncologist.

    Time frame: Collected immediately after the interaction with the oncologist

    The extent to which patients are satisfied with any treatment cost discussion they had with their oncologist. This is an investigator-developed 3-item scale. An example item is: "I am satisfied with how my oncologist and I discussed treatment cost today." Patients will respond to a scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5) with higher values representing a better outcome.

  5. Length of the interaction

    Time frame: During the patient-oncologist interaction and observed via video recordings of the treatment discussions

    Observer measure of the length of the patient-oncologist collected using video recordings.

  6. DISCO App use (observer measure)

    Time frame: Prior to and during the patient-oncologist interaction

    Observer measure of how patients use the DISCO App collected using video recordings

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Improving Treatment Cost Discussions Between Cancer Patients and Their Oncologists: Feasibility and Utilization of an Application-based Question Prompt List

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Sep 19, 2018
Registry last updated
Apr 18, 2024

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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