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Timely End-of-Life Communication to Parents of Children With Brain Tumors

NCT01170000 · Status: UNKNOWN · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 6

Last updated 2011-06-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

A national priority for health care providers is to initiate early communication about palliative and end-of-life care (PC/EOL) for children with a poor prognosis. Communication about prognosis and advanced care planning is critical to empowering parents to make decisions about PC/EOL for their children. A single-group study to refine and pilot test a PC/EOL communication intervention is entitled, Communication Plan: Early through End of Life (COMPLETE). COMPLETE is designed to be delivered during parent meetings and features: (a) a physician-nurse (MD/RN) team approach to PC/EOL communication; (b) printed visual aids and parent resource forms; and (c) hope and non-abandonment messages tailored by a MD/RN team to their communication style and parental preferences for information. During Phase I, an interdisciplinary approach involving nurses, physicians, PC/EOL expert consultants, and bereaved-parent consultants met to develop a standardized protocol and training procedures. During Phase II, this protocol will be evaluated with 24 parents and MD/RN teams. The investigators will evaluate parental outcomes regarding the COMPLETE's influence on: (a) information needs, emotional needs/resources, appraisal of MD/RN information and of symptom management; and (b) parental distress, uncertainty, decision regret, hope, satisfaction with MD/RN communication, and advance care planning over time. Findings from this study address NIH priorities related to: 1) an underserved population (i.e., parents of children with brain tumors); 2) an under-examined ethical concern about early integration of PC/EOL communication for parents of children with poor prognosis; 3) improved communication about PC/EOL among physicians, nurses, and parents; and 4) the potential for changing health care practice.

Conditions

  • Palliative Care
  • Communication

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

    collaborator NIH

  • The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Verna Ferguson, PhD · Barnes-Jewish Hospital

  • Joan Haase, PhD · Indiana University

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2009-09-30
Primary Completion
2012-08-31
Completion
2012-08-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01170000 on ClinicalTrials.gov