Supportive Cancer Care Networkers (SCAN)

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Status

Completed

Conditions

Chemotherapy

Colorectal Cancer

Treatments

Behavioral: SCAN

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01651832

01GY1143

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aim of the study is to increase the proportion of indicated patients with colorectal cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy following surgical resection through an optimized symptom management and logistical support.

Full description

Patients with colorectal cancer in Germany today are exposed to several Problems related to care continuity and access to health care professionals. In order to increase the utilization of adjuvant therapies, patients in the intervention group are offered an additional nursing intervention in the period between discharge after inpatient treatment and the beginning of adjuvant therapy. This includes a telephone follow-up conducted according to guidelines serving to disclose patients' current supportive needs in order to determine potential intervention approaches as early as possible. Hence, the intervention aims to motivate patients not to discontinue the treatment. An early detection of therapy-related physical and psychological impairments aims at optimizing treatment management.

Patients in the intervention group therefore are visited by nursing staff specialized in cancer care (Supportive Cancer Care Networkers, SCAN) during their in-patient stay and are informed about the intervention. An assignment for the SCAN is to support patients in getting access to health care services (e.g. specialists). Patients are given certain information, as for example contact to specialists, voluntary services and the next steps and appointments of the treatment plan are discussed. Within a consultation at the day before hospital discharge, the SCAN takes up the contact information and appoints weekly telephone consultations for the time up to the adjuvant therapy. The SCAN hands out information materials and explains the study documents, as for example patient-held records (PHR) in order to improve therapy compliance.

Enrollment

261 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 85 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

colorectal carcinoma (ICD-10: C18, C19, C20)
indication for adjuvant chemo therapy following S3-Guideline on colorectal Cancer or physician-directed
living in Saxony-Anhalt
ECOG-Performance Status <3
prospective further life expectancy of more than three months

Exclusion criteria

unable to read or understand German properly
any contra-indication for adjuvant therapy as described in the S3-Guideline such as inadequate liver, bone marrow, and kidney function or coronary heart disease (NYHA III-IV).