RATIONALE: Meeting with a nurse to assess symptoms and quality of life may be more effective than standard care in treating patients with pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying nurse-provided care to see how well it works compared with standard care in treating patients with pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVES: * To test the effects of an advanced practice nurse (APN) standardized nursing-intervention protocol (SNIP) model vs usual care on overall quality of life (QOL) and psychological distress from initial treatment to 6 months post diagnosis for patients with pancreatic cancer. * To compare symptom control in these patients. * To compare geriatric assessment outcomes in these patients. * To test the effects of the SNIP intervention as compared to the usual care group on resource use by these patients. * To test the effects of SNIP on patients' and clinicians' satisfaction with care. * To describe the effects of SNIP on patients' management of transitions from one phase of chronic illness to another. * To identify subgroups of these patients who benefit most from the SNIP in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, disease/treatment factors, and geriatric assessment predictors. * To obtain feedback from clinicians regarding interpretation of findings and application to the routine care of pancreatic cancer patients. OUTLINE: Patients are sequentially enrolled to 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 is enrolled during months 4-21 and group 2 during months 25-54. * Group 1 (usual care): Patient questionnaires are administered at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. The clinicians' satisfaction with care is also evaluated. * Group 2 (advanced practice nurse \[APN\] intervention): Patients are accrued by an APN. Patients meet with the APN periodically to assess their physical well-being including ambulatory care needed, care of physical symptoms (i.e., pain, fatigue, nausea and vomiting), and psychological well-being. Questionnaires are administered at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. In both groups, questionnaires include the FACT-Hep, Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, Psychological Distress Thermometer, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, and Patient Satisfaction with Intervention. Clinicians also complete questionnaires. Patients' medical charts are also reviewed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Enrollment
125
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Duarte, California, United States
Quality of life, psychological distress, symptom relief, geriatric assessment outcome, and resource use at 3 months
Long-term impact at 6 months
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