Clinical trial NCT03168763: Effect of Physician Attire on Patients' Preference of Physician
Official title: Advanced Cancer Patients' Perception of Physician Compassion and Professionalism - A Randomized, Double Blind, Cross Over Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Malignant Neoplasms of Independent (Primary) Multiple Sites
Keywords: Malignant neoplasms of independent (primary) multiple sites
Advanced Cancer
Videos
Questionnaires
Surveys
Lead sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-05-30
Enrollment: 108
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: The goal of this research study is to learn about the effects of a doctor's characteristics on participant's preference for a doctor. Researchers also want to learn about how a doctor's characteristics affect participant's options about professionalism and compassion.

Detailed description: If participant agrees to take part in this study, participant will be asked to complete 7 questionnaires. These questionnaires ask about participant's gender, date of birth, ethnicity, marital status, level of education, religion, and information about the disease and treatments participant received. Participant will also be asked about any symptoms participant may be having, how much trust participant has in the medical profession in general, how participant feels about the disease, any depression or anxiety participant may have, and participant's level of hopefulness. These questionnaires should take about 6 minutes to complete.

Participant will be shown 2 videos (each 3 minutes long) and then participant will complete questions about each video. Participant will be asked to rate the doctors participant saw on their professionalism and their compassion.

Caregivers will be required to leave the room or stay silent while the participant is watching the videos.

The total time to watch the videos and complete the second set of questionnaires should be about 7 minutes.

Finally, participant will be asked to complete 3 questionnaires about participant's overall preference for a doctor. These questionnaires will take about 5 minutes to complete.

Length of Study Participation:

Participation in this study is complete after participant answers the final questionnaires.

Overall, this study should take about 30 minutes to complete.

This is an investigational study.

Up to 108 participants will be enrolled in this study. All will take part at MD Anderson.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Advanced cancer diagnosis (locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic disease).
2. Patients presenting as follow-ups only at the outpatient Supportive Care Center.
3. Age \>/= 18 years-old
4. English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Altered cognition (as assessed routinely in the Supportive Care Clinic using the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS), with a score of \>/= 7/30).
2. Patients suffering from a severe psychiatric disorder or condition that would significantly interfere with study participation.
3. Patients with hearing and/or visual impairments.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Participant's Perception of Physician's Compassion
timeFrame: 1 day
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Participant's Perception of Physician's Professionalism
timeFrame: 1 day
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
state: Texas
Study officials:
affiliation: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
name: Ahsan Azhar, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: