Cancer
Conditions
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial will assess the effects on quality of life of two approaches to symptom management among new patients referred to a palliative care oncology clinic.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALOffering Additional Resources to Promote Symptom Management
Participants will be offered additional resources to promote symptom management.
Sponsors
Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Be a new patient at an outpatient palliative care clinic * Resident of Pennsylvania * Over 18 years of age
Exclusion criteria
* Prior use of certain symptom focused therapies * Currently pregnant
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of Life - McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire | Baseline - 16 weeks | Quality of life will be measured through the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire Revised (MQOL-R). The questionnaire is 15 questions assessing overall and specific areas of quality of life. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility of Accessing Additional Resources for Symptom Management | Baseline - 16 weeks | Feasibility will be measured by whether participants accessed the additional resources for symptom management. |
| Acceptability of Accessing Additional Resources for Symptom Management | Baseline - 16 weeks | Acceptability will be measured by whether participants accessed the additional resources for symptom management. |
| Symptom Severity | Baseline - 16 weeks | Symptom severity will be measured through the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). The survey is 10 questions assessing the severity of pain, nausea, depression, etc. on a 0 to 10 scale-in which a 0 representing best possible state/symptom absence and a 10 representing worst possible state. |
| Medication Use | Baseline - 16 weeks | Medication use will be measured through a medication diary created for the study. The medication diary asks participants about recent medications, amounts, and dosages. |
| Hospital-Free Days | Baseline - 16 weeks | Hospital-free days will be measured through examination of participant's electronic health record. |
| Mortality | Baseline - 16 weeks | Mortality will be measured through examination of participant's electronic health record. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed