Nurse-Provided Care or Standard Care in Treating Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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A Standardized Nursing Intervention Protocol for Pancreatic Cancer as a Chronic Illness

Conditions
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Fatigue, Nausea and Vomiting, Pain, Pancreatic Cancer

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: medical chart review
* Other: questionnaire administration
* Procedure: fatigue assessment and management
* Procedure: psychosocial assessment and care
* Procedure: quality-of-life assessment


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (all stages) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Admitted to City of Hope National Medical Center Resides within a 30-mile radius of the medical center No prior cancer PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: No prior therapy

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research


Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Other: medical chart review|nan|
|Other: questionnaire administration|nan|
|Procedure: fatigue assessment and management|nan|
|Procedure: psychosocial assessment and care|nan|
|Procedure: quality-of-life assessment|nan|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quality of life, psychological distress, symptom relief, geriatric assessment outcome, and resource use at 3 months |  |  | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Long-term impact at 6 months |  |  | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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pain, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, recurrent pancreatic cancer, stage I pancreatic cancer, stage II pancreatic cancer, stage III pancreatic cancer, stage IV pancreatic cancer