Nurse-initiated Conversations for Early Integration of Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology (NiCE)

Fudan University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Solid Tumor; Hematological Malignancies

Treatments: Other: Routine PPC; Behavioral: NiCE

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05306509

NiCE_21_427

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to develop and implement a pediatric palliative care (PPC) program. It is an open-label, randomized trial (2:1 randomization) in pediatric oncology department of Children's Hospital of Fudan University. The intervention group will receive Nurse-initiated Conversations for Early Integration of Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology (NiCE). The control group will receive routine PPC (will be scheduled to meet with the PPC team only when participants themselves, their families, or the attending oncologist requested an appointment). The intervention will take 6 months.

Full description

Early integration of PPC, endorsed by a number of international societies, is well supported by evidence on providing multi-layer relief in children and their families over the course of any life-threatening illness. This study will leverage oncology nurses' role, culturally adapt the well-recognized St. Jude Children's Individualized Care Planning and Coordination (ICPC) Model to develop and evaluate a nurse-initiated conversation program to facilitate early integration of palliative care in pediatric oncology care.

Enrollment: 120 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: Under 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children within eight weeks of initial oncologic diagnosis or within eight weeks of relapse/recurrent disease diagnosis
• Children speaking Chinese
• Children's family caregivers accompanying the child in the hospital (only one family member is eligible to take this role under current hospital policy)
• Children's family caregivers speaking Chinese
• Health care providers who are taking care of the eligible children, including but not limited to physicians, nurses, and social workers

Exclusion criteria

• Children who, in the opinion of their physician, are not capable mentally or verbally of participating in the survey or interview

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

120 participants in 2 patient groups

Nurse-initiated conversations for early integration of palliative care (NiCE)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive nurse-initiated conversations facilitating early integration of palliative care in pediatric oncology.

Treatment:

Behavioral: NiCE

Routine PPC

Other group

Description:

Participants will be scheduled to meet with the PPC team only when participants themselves, their families, or the attending oncologist requested an appointment.

Treatment:

Other: Routine PPC