Serious Illness Communication Project
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Cancer, Cancer |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Oncology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 1/23/2019 |
| Start Date: | June 2012 |
| End Date: | June 2016 |
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of implementing a "Serious Illness
Conversation Guide" to guide patient/family-clinician discussions and planning about
end-of-life care decisions. The goal of the intervention is to improve achievement of patient
care priorities and peacefulness at the end of life for patients with serious and
life-threatening illness and their families. We hypothesize that patients whose physician is
trained to use and adheres to the elements of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide will
demonstrate enhanced consistency between documented key priorities and care received, and
will experience greater peace in the final month of life; similarly, their families will
experience higher satisfaction with care.
Conversation Guide" to guide patient/family-clinician discussions and planning about
end-of-life care decisions. The goal of the intervention is to improve achievement of patient
care priorities and peacefulness at the end of life for patients with serious and
life-threatening illness and their families. We hypothesize that patients whose physician is
trained to use and adheres to the elements of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide will
demonstrate enhanced consistency between documented key priorities and care received, and
will experience greater peace in the final month of life; similarly, their families will
experience higher satisfaction with care.
The subjects of this study will be the clinicians (physicians and nurse practitioners)
conducting the SICG conversations, their patient with high-risk cancers, and a friend or
family member of the patient.
Clinician Inclusion Criteria:
1. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute medical oncology clinician
2. Care for patients with selected high-risk cancers
Clinician Exclusion Criteria:
1. DFCI Gynecology-Oncology specialist
2. Seeing patients only in the Phase I clinical trial disease center
Patient Inclusion Criteria
1. Over 18 years of age
2. English speaker
3. Patient at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, including satellite sites at Milford Regional
Medical Center and South Shore Hospital
4. Diagnosis of one of the following high mortality or advanced cancers: breast, gastric,
intestinal, esophageal, pancreatic, biliary, colorectal, hepatocellular, head and
neck, renal, bladder, prostate, acute myeloid lymphoma (AML), acute lymphoblastic
lymphoma (ALL), lymphoma, melanoma, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), sarcoma, and lung.
5. Ability to provide consent
Patient Exclusion Criteria
1. Diagnosis of advanced obstetric-gynecological cancer
2. Cognitive impairment
Family Member Inclusion Criteria
1. Over 18 years of age
2. English speaker
3. Friend or family member of study patient (Health care proxy, or close friend or family
member who is involved in helping the patient think about decisions related to their
health care)
4. Ability to provide consent
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