Primary Objective: Aim 1: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of recruitment strategies for subjects for VOICE 2 intervention. Secondary Objective: Aim 2: To test the preliminary efficacy of VOICE 2 on oncologist-patient, patient-caregiver, and oncologist-caregiver concordant prognostic understanding, oncologist-patient and oncologist-caregiver therapeutic alliance, patient/caregiver depression/anxiety and death anxiety, and patient/caregiver meaning/purpose.
The purpose of the research is to test whether the randomized recruitment of oncologist and their participants-caregivers dyads is feasible to improve communication and illness understanding in participants with advanced cancer and their caregivers. This study will be recruit oncologists first and randomize them to either control of intervention group. Participants and caregivers of the respective oncologists will be recruited and then assigned the same group. The intervention group, a study team member will be meet with the caregiver for about one hour to review "Our Cancer Care" booklet and help the participant form questions that can be asked at the visit with the oncologist. This will be conducted in person or via secure video-conferencing program. There will be three follow up sessions where the study team member will ask the participants reflection of the prior conversation and the participants conversation with the oncologist and help formulate further questions or clarifications. These sessions should last about 20 minutes. If assigned to the control group, the participant will receive "Our Cancer Care" booklet. All participants participating in this study will, irrespective of the group assigned, will be asked to complete surveys about illness and the relationship with the oncology team at appropriate times during the study. A brief questionnaire about the understanding of the illness before and after receiving either the intervention or the booklet. The time in the study is about one hour to complete each of the two set of surveys through an interview with the research staff, about five minutes to rate your illness understanding, and a total of about two hours for the four coaching sessions over a period lasting up to about ten weeks.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
29
Complete the surveys before and after attending coaching sessions. The two interviews each lasting for about one hour and will be done in-person or through video-conferencing meeting (depending on which is more convenient for you) with a study team member. The first interview, will ask about some basic information. In the second and last interview, will ask about experience of the coaching sessions and about how you feel about your decisions regarding your treatment and care. At each of the two time points, you and your caregiver will be interviewed separately. The video-conferencing, will be conducted through Zoom, which is a secure, widely used software which allows people to communicate remotely with computers, tablets, or smart phones. The software is available free of charge to you if you have a computer or other suitable device and internet.
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey-University Hospital
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Open-ended, Likert scale will measure fidelity
Treatment fidelity will also be measured
Time frame: Two years
Multiple-choice questions will measure fidelity
Treatment fidelity will also be measured
Time frame: Two years
Coding a recording as a group
Trainees and trainers will then independently code two recordings and will meet to discuss coding differences
Time frame: 2 years
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.