Clinical trial NCT05734781: End-of-life Communication From a Chinese Perspective
Official title: Development and Evaluation of a Culturally Specific End-of-life Communication Skills Training for Chinese Oncology Nurses
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Terminally Ill
Keywords: Communication
Health personnel
Terminally ill
Adult
Lead sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-02-21
Enrollment: 66
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Terminally ill patients (whose likely life expectancies of fewer than 12 months), families and healthcare providers of such patients

Brief summary: The goal of this observational study is to explore experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers. The main question it aims to answer is:

• What are the experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers? Participants will be invited to either semi-structured in-depth interviews or focus group discussions to share their thoughts.

Detailed description: Objectives: To explore stakeholders' (patients, families and healthcare providers) experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in China; and understand culturally appropriate communication strategies.

Design and subjects: This study is a qualitative study. Eligible patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers will be recruited in two hospitals. Purposive sampling methods will be adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with patients and family caregivers will be conducted respectively. Focus group discussions will be arranged with healthcare providers, allowing them to discuss end-of-life communication and generate group interactions and creative thinking.

Data analysis: The data analysis will be an iterative, cyclic and self-reflective process. Using inductive thematic analysis, common themes and categories will be determined through inductive reasoning and constant comparison.

Expected results: The study will fill the gap of no empirical evidence on end-of-life communication strategies from a Chinese perspective and enrich the knowledge about end-of-life communication.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Patients:

* Be aged older than 18 years
* Have a defined incurable life-limiting illness with a likely life expectancy of fewer than 12 months (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2021), according to the consultation with the patient's physician
* Have been informed of disease diagnosis and treatment
* Be able to speak Mandarin and express clearly
* Be able to provide informed consent

Family caregivers:

* Be aged older than 18 years
* One of the terminally ill patient's primary family caregivers who are familiar with patient's situation, which is defined as lived with or visited patients at least twice a week in the past month
* Have been informed of patient's disease diagnosis and treatment
* Be able to speak Mandarin
* Be able to provide informed consent

Healthcare providers:

* Be nurses, physicians or other healthcare professionals
* Be experienced in providing treatment or care to patients with advanced, life-limiting illnesses (whose likely life expectancies of fewer than 12 months) and family caregivers of such patients for at least five years (Koh et al., 2016)
* Consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients and family caregivers:

* Severe auditory impairment
* Cognitive impairment

Primary outcomes:
measure: Qualitative data and participants basic information
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hangzhou
country: China
facility: Zhejiang Cancer Hospital
state: Zhejiang
Study officials:
affiliation: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
name: Joyce Chung, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: