Implementation of CBT-I in Cancer Clinics

Summary

Insomnia affects 30-60% of cancer patients, thus making it one of the most common disturbances in this population. When untreated, which is the rule rather than the exception, insomnia often becomes chronic. Chronic insomnia is associated with numerous negative consequences (e.g., increased risk for psychological disorders, health care costs). A large body of evidence supports the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in cancer patients, but CBT-I is still not offered routinely in cancer clinics. Self-administered CBT-I (e.g., video-based intervention) has been developed to increase patients' access to this treatment. However, results of clinical trials have suggested that these minimal treatments would be better used as a first step of a stepped care model. In stepped care, patients receive only the level of intervention they need. Generally, the entry level is a minimal, less costly, intervention (e.g., self-help intervention) followed by a more intensive form of treatment if needed (if the patient is still symptomatic). The investigators have recently assessed the efficacy of a stepped care model to administer CBT-I in cancer patients, which includes a web-based CBT-I (called Insomnet) followed by up to 3 sessions with a psychotherapist if the patient is still symptomatic. Results of this study suggest that this model of care is non-inferior to a standard face-to-face treatment (Savard, Ivers, et al., in revision), while being more cost-effective. A stepped care CBT-I could therefore be offered in routine cancer care clinics.

This project will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a stepped care CBT-I in real-world cancer clinics, using a non-randomized stepped wedge design to compare the effects of our program (active phase) with a passive phase. The program is called Insomnia in Patients with Cancer - Personalized Treatment (IMPACT). The stepped care CBT-I (active intervention) is being implemented sequentially in the four participating hospitals over a number of equally spaced time periods of 4 months (wedges), for a total of 5 time points, over a period of 20 months.

Conditions

• Insomnia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Web-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

Each week, the patients first have to read written information on the website (www.insomnet.ca), and then watch a video capsule (duration between 5 and 20 min each). Patients complete their daily sleep diary electronically on the website and the content is interactive. It includes the sending of automated emails to remind participants to complete the treatment tasks and encourage adherence, provision of tailored feedback (e.g., texts, charts) based on the information that they provide in their sleep diary, as well as quizzes with automated correction to reinforce patients' understanding of the content.

BEHAVIORAL

Professionally-administered booster face-to-face CBT-I sessions

Patients who obtain an ISI score of 8 and more after completing the web-based CBT-I are "stepped up" and offered to receive up to three 50-min booster sessions of CBT-I offered individually by a psychologist (if needed). Remitted patients (good sleepers; ISI score lower than 8) will receive no further treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)

  collaborator OTHER

• CHU de Quebec-Universite Laval

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Josée Savard, Ph.D. · Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-12-13

Primary Completion

2025-05-30

Completion

2025-05-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations