Improving Communication for Cancer Treatment: Addressing Concerns of Older Cancer Patients and Caregivers

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Aging; Communication; Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: Geriatric Assessment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05436327

NCI-2022-05359 (Other Identifier)

2021-0881

Details and patient eligibility

About

To improve patient-centered outcomes for older patients with cancer considering or receiving chemotherapy and their caregivers. To do this, the project team will (a) establish the effectiveness of GA on communication about age-related concerns, patient and caregiver satisfaction with communication about age-related concerns, quality of life, and patient-reported side effects of chemotherapy; (b) evaluate the success of the implementation strategies on the adoption, reach, and fidelity of implementing the GA in community oncology practices; and (c) identify the resources needed to implement GA and the GA-guided recommendations in community oncology practices for older patients considering or receiving chemotherapy.

Full description

Objectives:

Establish the effectiveness of GA on patient and caregiver satisfaction and communication about age-related concerns for older patients receiving chemotherapy in community oncology practices. Evaluate the success of our implementation strategies on the reach, adoption, and fidelity of implementing the GA in community oncology practices. Identify the resources needed to implement GA and the GA-guided recommendations in community oncology practices for older patients receiving chemotherapy.

Enrollment: 1,500 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Practice Staff Participants

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older
• A practicing clinician (e.g., oncologist, nurse practitioners, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, registered nurse, medical assistant) or other practice staff (e.g., administrators and IT)
• Fluent in English (reading and speaking)
• Have access to computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have plans to leave the practice in six months (e.g., retiring or changing organizations)
• Unable to provide consent

Patient Participants

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 65 and older
• Considering a new chemotherapy plan

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have been diagnosed with a health condition that precludes their ability to participate in informed consent or in the intervention (e.g., dementia which limits decision-making capacity).

Care Partner/Caregiver Participants (Care partners can be any partner, spouse, family member, and/or friend that has been identified by the patient and/or clinical team that supports the patient through treatment.)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years and older
• Fluent in English (reading and speaking)
• Have access to computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide consent

Inclusion of Special Populations:

Employees. The rationale for including employees is to gain a better understanding of how we can improve cancer care for older patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy. It is possible that some employees may be pregnant women or military personnel. We intend to include these individuals as long as they meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria because this is a clinical improvement project to promote the implementation of the GA in routine clinical practice and should have external validity. These individuals would not be excluded in other clinical improvement projects outside of a research study.

Other special populations. This study will not include other special subject populations (students, Non-English-Speaking Populations, Minors, Human Fetuses; Neonates (infants under 30 days old), prisoners/detainees (wards)) because the purpose of the study is to understand the implementation of the GA in clinical oncology practices and its impact on patients 65+ with cancer and their care partners satisfaction with care, communication about their care, quality of life, and patient (65+) reported toxicities.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,500 participants in 1 patient group

Geriatric Assessment (GA)

Other group

Description:

Clinical staff undergo training in GA and are provided with facilitation and support for one year as they implement GA among older adult patients (65+) considering chemotherapy and their care partners/caregivers.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Geriatric Assessment