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Implementation of CBT-I in Cancer Clinics

Implementation of a Stepped Care Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Routine Cancer Care

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04817163
Enrollment
120
Registered
2021-03-26
Start date
2019-12-13
Completion date
2025-05-30
Last updated
2024-09-19

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

Conditions

Insomnia

Keywords

Insomnia, Cancer, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Stepped care model, Self-administered treatment, Web-based intervention, Implementation, Cost-effectiveness

Brief summary

Insomnia affects 30-60% of cancer patients, thus making it one of the most common disturbances in this population. When untreated, which is the rule rather than the exception, insomnia often becomes chronic. Chronic insomnia is associated with numerous negative consequences (e.g., increased risk for psychological disorders, health care costs). A large body of evidence supports the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in cancer patients, but CBT-I is still not offered routinely in cancer clinics. Self-administered CBT-I (e.g., video-based intervention) has been developed to increase patients' access to this treatment. However, results of clinical trials have suggested that these minimal treatments would be better used as a first step of a stepped care model. In stepped care, patients receive only the level of intervention they need. Generally, the entry level is a minimal, less costly, intervention (e.g., self-help intervention) followed by a more intensive form of treatment if needed (if the patient is still symptomatic). The investigators have recently assessed the efficacy of a stepped care model to administer CBT-I in cancer patients, which includes a web-based CBT-I (called Insomnet) followed by up to 3 sessions with a psychotherapist if the patient is still symptomatic. Results of this study suggest that this model of care is non-inferior to a standard face-to-face treatment (Savard, Ivers, et al., in revision), while being more cost-effective. A stepped care CBT-I could therefore be offered in routine cancer care clinics. This project will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a stepped care CBT-I in real-world cancer clinics, using a non-randomized stepped wedge design to compare the effects of our program (active phase) with a passive phase. The program is called Insomnia in Patients with Cancer - Personalized Treatment (IMPACT). The stepped care CBT-I (active intervention) is being implemented sequentially in the four participating hospitals over a number of equally spaced time periods of 4 months (wedges), for a total of 5 time points, over a period of 20 months.

Interventions

Each week, the patients first have to read written information on the website (www.insomnet.ca), and then watch a video capsule (duration between 5 and 20 min each). Patients complete their daily sleep diary electronically on the website and the content is interactive. It includes the sending of automated emails to remind participants to complete the treatment tasks and encourage adherence, provision of tailored feedback (e.g., texts, charts) based on the information that they provide in their sleep diary, as well as quizzes with automated correction to reinforce patients' understanding of the content.

BEHAVIORALProfessionally-administered booster face-to-face CBT-I sessions

Patients who obtain an ISI score of 8 and more after completing the web-based CBT-I are stepped up and offered to receive up to three 50-min booster sessions of CBT-I offered individually by a psychologist (if needed). Remitted patients (good sleepers; ISI score lower than 8) will receive no further treatment.

Sponsors

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)
CollaboratorOTHER
CHU de Quebec-Universite Laval
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

The stepped care CBT-I (active intervention) is being implemented sequentially in the four participating hospitals over a number of equally spaced time periods of 4 months (wedges), for a total of 5 time points, over a period of 20 months.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* have received a diagnosis of non-metastatic cancer (any type) * to be aged 18 years and older * to be readily able to read and understand French or English * having the minimum cognitive abilities to read, understand and memorize information * having access to Internet

Exclusion criteria

* having a psychological comorbidity needing clinical attention (e.g., major depressive disorder) * having severe cognitive impairments (e.g., diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, dementia) * having insomnia due to a temporary condition (e.g., acute pain, short-term medication side effects, environmental factors)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
2) Psychologists' perceived self-efficiencyThroughout the active phase, up to 20 monthsPsychologists' perceived self-efficiency in using CBT-I protocol (%)
4) Change in wake after sleep onset (WASO)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in daily sleep diary parameters from pre- to post-intervention: Change in wake after sleep onset (WASO) = Summation of nocturnal awakenings.
5) Change in total wake time (TWT)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in daily sleep diary parameters from pre- to post-intervention: Change in total wake time (TWT) = Summation of SOL, WASO, and early morning awakening.
6) Change in total sleep time (TST)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in daily sleep diary parameters from pre- to post-intervention: Change in total sleep time (TST) = Time in bed minus total wake time.
7) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change scores from pre to post-intervention: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS): A 14-item questionnaire comprising 7 items assessing depression and 7 items assessing anxiety. Scores obtained for each subscale range from 0 to 21.
8) Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change scores from pre to post-intervention: Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI): A 14-item questionnaire measuring perceived fatigue. Each item is rated on an 11-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 to 10. A higher score indicates a higher level of fatigue or interference or a longer duration of fatigue.
9) The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change scores from pre to post-intervention: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30): A 30-item questionnaire. Scores are transformed to give a score ranging from 0 to 100.
10) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change scores from pre to post-intervention: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS): A 5-item questionnaire (Likert scale from 1 to 7) designed to measure global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one's life.
1) Psychologists' adherence to the protocolThroughout the active phase, up to 20 monthsPsychologists' self-assessed adherence to the CBT-I protocol (%)
Implementation (organizational) measuresPassive phase (4 months) vs. active phase (20 months), through study completion, an average of 24 monthsReferral, enrolment and completion rates to the stepped care CBT-I in each clinical setting.
1) Change in Insomnia Severity Index ScoresPre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in Insomnia Severity Index Scores from pre- to post-intervention. The ISI is a 7-item questionnaire designed to evaluate insomnia severity. A score greater than or equal to 8 indicates the presence of insomnia symptoms.
2) Change in sleep efficiency (SE)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in daily sleep diary parameters from pre- to post-intervention: Change in sleep efficiency (SE) index (%) = Total sleep time/total time spent in bed X 100.
3) Change in sleep onset latency (SOL)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Change in daily sleep diary parameters from pre- to post-intervention: Change in sleep onset latency (SOL) = Time to sleep after lights out.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
2) Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (EBPAS)Through study completion, an average of 24 monthsAdministrators' and clinicians' attitude towards empirically-based treatments (Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (EBPAS; 15 items)): Scores obtained range from 0 to 60.
3) Workplace Stress Scale (WSS)Through study completion, an average of 24 monthsStress at work (Workplace Stress Scale (WSS; 8 items)): Scores obtained range from 8 to 40.
4) Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC)Through study completion, an average of 24 monthsAttitude towards change (Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC; 12 items)): Participants rated the hospital's readiness for implementation on 12 items using a 5-point ordinal scale that ranged from disagree (1) to agree (5).
5) Clinicians expertiseThrough study completion, an average of 24 monthsClinicians' CBT expertise (number of years of experience with CBT)
6) Internet Evaluation and Utility Questionnaire (IEUQ)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Patients' familiarity with the Internet (Internet Evaluation and Utility Questionnaire (IEUQ; 15 items)): Patients respond to the questions on a 5-point likert scale from not at all (0) to very (4), with 2 open-ended items asking patients to identify most helpful and least helpful parts of the web program.
7) Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool (BRIEF)Pre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later)Health literacy (Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool (BRIEF; 4 items)): Each item ranges from 1 to 5 and total scores range from 4 to 20.
Possible moderating treatment effectPre-treatment (at recruitment)Possible moderating treatment effect by some of the participants' characteristics (e.g., age, sex, cancer site).
1) Demographic characteristicsPre-treatment and post-treatment (6-8 weeks later) for patient; Through study completion (an average of 24 months) for cliniciansClinicians and patients' demographics (e.g., age, sex)

Countries

Canada

Contacts

Primary ContactJosée Savard, Ph.D.
josee.savard@psy.ulaval.ca418-525-4444

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 5, 2026