INFORM: Improving Information and Communication for Migrants with Cancer

The development and testing of a complex intervention to improve outcomes in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) cancer patients

Status

Terminated

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12616001538437

Acronym

INFORM

Enrollment

Registered

2016-11-08

Start date

2015-06-01

Completion date

2016-06-30

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Our team has recently completed two studies on the unmet needs, psychological morbidity, quality of life and patterns of care of 1483 people with cancer from Arabic, Greek and Chinese speaking backgrounds. Compared to English-speaking patients with cancer, patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds had greater communication issues, unmet information needs and psychological distress. Without sound understanding and recall of information provided, patients cannot be actively involved in treatment decisions and provide informed consent to treatment. Our team has level I evidence which demonstrates that audio-recordings of consultations and question prompt lists (QPL) are highly effective in increasing recall and meeting information needs in English-speaking patients with cancer. This Phase II study will investigate whether this level I evidence can be used in applied to a CALD population. This study draws on the Medical Research Council (UK) framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions.

Interventions

Patients will be randomised 1:1 to either the intervention or usual care. The intervention consists of: 1) A Question Prompt List (QPL) translated into the participant’s own language 2) A copy of an audio-recording of one of the participant’s interpreted hospital consultations for the participant to take home and listen to. The QPL is a paper-based list of commonly asked questions by people with cancer. It is posted to the participant a week prior to their hospital consultation. The audio r

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Educational / counselling / training

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

- Aged 18+ - A patient of the oncology service at Northern Health or at PMCC in the following clinical services: Head and Neck, Lung, Urology, Gastrointestinal (Upper and Lower), Gynaecological, Haematological, and Bone and Soft Tissue - Identified as speaking Arabic, Greek, Mandarin or Cantonese as their primary language, and speaks minimal English. - Attending an appointment appropriate for audio-recording

Exclusion criteria

- Diagnosed psychiatric disorder - Too unwell - Currently participating in another clinical trial - Already noted/identified as requesting no information about diagnosis/prognosis/treatment - Does not have a trial consented Cantonese, Mandarin, Greek, or Arabic interpreter booked for that consultation - Does not have literacy skills in their primary language of Greek, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Arabic

Outcome results