The Effect of Case Management in Complex Cancer Pathways

Summary

Introduction: Case management (CM) has been proposed as a method for optimizing the course of treatment for complicated cancer patients. However evidence of the effect of CM is limited and methodologically rigorous research is needed.

Aim: To analyze effects of Nurse CM in complicated cancer care.

Methods: The study is designed as a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) including approximately 280 colorectal cancer patients.

Intervention group patients will be offered usual medical treatment plus supportive intervention from a case manager. Control group patients will receive usual medical and supportive treatment.

The intervention: Case managers are registered nurses and possess thorough knowledge of cancer treatment and pathways. Core intervention elements: Planned and ad hoc personal and telephone contacts, surveillance of care pathways, coordination and dissemination of care plan (including transfer of patient-specific information to other departments and general practice).

Primary outcomes: Patient evaluations of care pathways and "Quality of Life" (questionnaires).

Secondary outcomes: Use of health care services and care process measures (The National Health Insurance Service Registry and The National Patient Registry; and GPs' evaluations of continuity of care (questionnaire).

Schedule:

* "Case management used to optimize cancer care pathways: A systematic Review" has been published in BMC Health Services Research.
* The CM manual has been written. Questionnaires are under development and pilot testing.
* Two case managers have been appointed 1. January 2009.
* After training and pilot testing of the intervention the RCT will begin in March 2009. Inclusion period is 12 months.

Conditions

• Colonic Neoplasms
• Rectal Neoplasms

Interventions

OTHER

Nurse case management

Intervention group patients are offered the support of a nurse case manager throughout their course of treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Research Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University

  collaborator OTHER

• The Research Council for Health and Disease, Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• Danish Cancer Society

  collaborator OTHER

• Novo Nordisk A/S

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Kvalitets- og efteruddannelsesudvalget for Region Midtjylland

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Aarhus

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Christian N Wulff, MD · Research Unit of General Practice, Odense

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-03-31

Primary Completion

2011-01-31

Completion

2012-01-31

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations