A Culturally Specific End-of-life Communication Skills Training

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: End-Of-Life

Treatments: Other: Routine training activity; Other: The end-of-life communication skills training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05888480

HSEARS20230525002

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of culturally specific end-of-life communication skills training (CST) among Chinese oncology nurses.

The main question it aims to answer is: What is the effectiveness of culturally specific end-of-life CST among Chinese oncology nurses? Participants will receive an 8-week communication skills training. Researchers will compare the intervention group and the wait-list group to see if skills, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy beliefs will be improved.

Full description

Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of culturally specific end-of-life CST among Chinese oncology nurses.

Design and participants: It is designed as a single-blind, pre-post randomized controlled trial (RCT). Registered nurses who work with advanced cancer patients in hospital settings will be recruited. The participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The IG will receive the end-of-life CST between the two measurement points, and the CG will be a waitlist group and receive the training after the end of data collection.

Data analysis: Demographic information about the participants will be summarised in descriptive statistics. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests are used to investigate the comparability of groups in terms of the demographics generated by randomization. The primary and secondary outcome variables will be examined using covariate-adjusted linear mixed models. This approach enables the consideration of missing data. For non-repeated continuous measurements, ordinary linear regression and logistic models will be adopted. The intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and post hoc analyses of contaminated data will be performed.

Expected results: Nurses' skills, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy beliefs will improve after the CST.

Enrollment: 148 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Registered nurses who work with advanced cancer patients in hospital settings
• Consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Nurses working temporarily in the two hospitals as scholars or trainees from other hospitals
• Specialized nurses in palliative care

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

148 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group (IG)

Experimental group

Description:

The IG will receive the end-of-life CST between the two measurement points

Treatment:

Other: The end-of-life communication skills training

Control group (CG)

Other group

Description:

The CG will be a waitlist group and receive the training after the end of data collection.

Treatment:

Other: Routine training activity