None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This pilot study will determine the effects of dignity therapy for palliative care patients with cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above and are a cancer patient with a palliative diagnosis. Study details All participants in this trial will be randomly allocated (by chance) to receive either dignity therapy with a cancer care coordinator who is trained in dignity therapy or standard palliative care. Participants will be followed-up at 4 weeks post intervention commencement with questionnaires to determine effect of treatment on levels of distress We hope to provide evidence that may allow us to introduce Dignity Therapy into the routine care of our patients in Mater Cancer Care Centre.
Interventions
Dignity therapy psychotherapeutic intervention. A clinician trained in dignity therapy will undertake a therapy session with participants.Iin this session the participant and therapist will sit down and engage in a discussion of the participants life guided by a standardised set of nine questions. The therapy will consist of two-to-three sessions, depending upon of the need for further discussion and editing of the document. The first session will be approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour long. The s
Dignity therapy psychotherapeutic intervention. A clinician trained in dignity therapy will undertake a therapy session with participants.Iin this session the participant and therapist will sit down and engage in a discussion of the participants life guided by a standardised set of nine questions. The therapy will consist of two-to-three sessions, depending upon of the need for further discussion and editing of the document. The first session will be approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour long. The second session in which the therapist and participant actively and collaboratively edit the document will be approximately 20-30 minutes, and the third if needed will take no more than 15 minutes. Each session will be separate by approximately one week. Each will be conducted face-to-face. The therapist is a senior Cancer Care Coordinator who has trained with the founder of Dignity therapy, Dr Harvey Max Chochinov. The legacy document will be provided to participants approximately one to two weeks after completion of the intervention.
Sponsors
Evidence in Practice Unit, Mater Misericordiae Limited.
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Cancer patients that have a palliative diagnosis and have been referred to the palliative care team will be eligible for inclusion.
Exclusion criteria
Participants under 18 years of age, those not able to comprehend spoken and written English, patients with a cognitive impairment that would impact their ability to engage in the therapy, previous engagement in DT in another setting.
Outcome results
None listed