Laryngectomy Education

The Washington University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Total Laryngectomy

Treatments: Other: Day of Hospital Discharge Laryngectomy Survey; Other: Laryngectomy Education Study Exit Survey; Other: Pre-Class Laryngectomy Survey; Other: Day of Discharge Practicum; Behavioral: Total Laryngectomy Preoperative Education Class; Behavioral: Counseling session with speech pathologist; Other: Demographics and Health History Questionnaire

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02601638

201411097

Details and patient eligibility

About

Patients undergoing total laryngectomy are at high risk for 30-day unplanned readmission. Many of these readmissions are related to stomal care, and it is thought that the readmissions could be prevented with better patient and caregiver education. The investigators are studying the effect of a comprehensive perioperative education program on 30-day unplanned readmission for patients undergoing total laryngectomy.

The comprehensive perioperative education program will include the following additional interventions:

-Preoperative visit with the speech pathologist for explanation of laryngectomy physiology, stomal education, and alaryngeal voice rehabilitation. Participants will be expected to undergo this intervention and to attend it with their "laryngectomy coach" (a family member or friend to accompany the patient through the education process), but failure to meet with the speech pathologist will not exclude a patient from the study.

• Preoperative education class with a designated ENT laryngectomy nurse for patient and caregiver. The hands-on class introduces the patient and laryngectomy coach to the basics of stomal care. Participants and their "laryngectomy coach" will be expected to attend the preoperative education class
• Printed laryngectomy journey guide given to patients at time of study enrollment for patient/caregiver. This journey guide details the preoperative, in-hospital, and post-discharge course and is provided as a reference throughout their journey.
• Formalized, nursing administered practical evaluation of minimal competency of laryngectomy care for patient and caregiver/laryngectomy coach.

This study will follow patients prospectively from the time of study commencement and then assess changes in patient knowledge before and after the education intervention. It will also compare rate of stomal complications and readmission rates to institutional historical averages to assess improvement in quality care.

Enrollment: 55 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• planned total laryngectomy at Barnes Jewish Hospital
• age 18 or older
• understand spoken or written English language
• able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

-none

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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55 participants in 1 patient group

Arm 1

Experimental group

Description:

* Demographics and Health History Questionnaire (5-10 minutes to complete) * Pre-Class Laryngectomy Survey (5-10 minutes to complete) * Attend a preoperative counseling session with a speech pathologist. It will take 30-60 minutes * Attend the Total Laryngectomy Preoperative Education Class. Participants will attend within 1-2 weeks of providing written consent and prior to their scheduled surgery. The preoperative education class will take one hour. * Complete the Day of Hospital Discharge Laryngectomy Survey at the time of discharge from the hospital (5-10 minutes to complete) * Perform the day of discharge practicum assessing the minimal competency skills for laryngectomy care prior to discharge from the hospital. * Complete the Laryngectomy Education Study Exit survey. Participants will perform an exit survey at the first clinic appointment after 30 days after hospital discharge (15-30 minutes to complete)

Treatment:

Other: Laryngectomy Education Study Exit Survey

Other: Day of Hospital Discharge Laryngectomy Survey

Behavioral: Counseling session with speech pathologist

Other: Demographics and Health History Questionnaire

Behavioral: Total Laryngectomy Preoperative Education Class

Other: Day of Discharge Practicum

Other: Pre-Class Laryngectomy Survey