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Supervision of Clinicians in Oncology by Psycho-oncologists : Evaluation

NCT07268378 · Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 62

Last updated 2025-12-16

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Communication in the oncology setting involves cognitive as well as emotional challenges for both clinicians and patients, and interactional dimensions that emerge in their encounter. Supervision of oncology/haematology clinicians by psycho-oncologists is one of the most frequently used tools, which aims to enhance their communicative and relational competences, and at the same time to support them in their daily clinical work. However, little is known regarding its impact and how the supervisory process acts upon clinicians. This study thus aims to evaluate the efficacy of four 1-hour supervision sessions following a clinician-centred format, which allows supervisors to rapidly access supervisees' own difficulties in the encounter with certain patients. In addition, the supervisory process will be examined qualitatively by analysing in-depth audio-taped supervision sessions. The focus of analysis will be "what works" and "what does not". If beneficial effects are found, clinician-centred supervision -- thanks to its focused and time saving format -- could be realistically implemented for nurses and physicians working in the oncology and haematology settings. Effects are expected on clinicians' capacity to reflect on challenging encounters with patients, on potential negative feelings towards patients, and on clinicians' professional well-being. The clinician-centred supervision format could be easily taught to psycho-oncologists who wish to start supervising haematology and oncology clinicians. Clinicians who are less preoccupied with themselves, or with negative feelings towards their patients, have more supportive relationships with them, which is of utmost importance in critical settings such as oncology and haematology.

Conditions

  • Healthy Participants

Interventions

OTHER

Supervision session

In the first and thrid sessions, supervisees will comprehensively describe a clinical situation with a patient, which strongly affected them in a very negative way (e.g., feelings of rejection, anxiety, anger), or even lead to words (e.g., outbursts, impoliteness, cynicism) and actions (e.g., avoidance of the patient, forgetting appointments, deviation from good medical practice). In the second and fourth sessions, the same proceeding takes place, with the exception that participants are invited to present a clinical encounter with a patient, which strongly affected them in a very positive way (e.g., feelings of intense closeness, sympathy, pronounced mourning after the patient's death), or even lead to words (e.g., self-disclosure, discussing private information, compliments) and actions (e.g., special favours, difficulties to end treatment, deviation from good medical practice).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Heidelberg University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-08-11
Primary Completion
2026-04-30
Completion
2026-10-31

Countries

  • Switzerland

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 NCT07268378 on ClinicalTrials.gov