Systematic Support for Relatives of Palliative Care Patients (BALANCE)

Rigshospitalet

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Prolonged Grief Disorder

Treatments: Other: Support of relatives

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05274841

P-2020-429

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary purpose of this study is to validate the prognostic screening tool from The Aarhus Bereavement Study (TABS) and to implement a systematic support for relatives of palliative care patients in order to prevent the development of prolonged grief disorder. Depending on their identified support needs, the relatives are offered different interventions. It is evaluated whether this procedure of screening and intervening are able to reduce the risk of developing prolonged grief disorder.

Full description

PRIMARY OUTCOME: identification of the support needs of relatives of palliative care patients

SECONDARY OUTCOME: evaluation of the initiated interventions and whether these are able to reduce the risk of developing prolonged grief disorder

PARTICIPANTS: Relatives (age 18-90) of patients affiliated with specialized palliative care in The Capital Region of Denmark.

The relatives will complete a survey and prognostic screening tool at respectively 2 weeks (T1) and every 6 months (T2) from the time that the patients is affiliated to the specialized palliative care and until the death of the patient. This will happen regardless the status of the patient - that is, whether or not the patient continues being affiliated with specialized palliative care, or the patient is being referred to another palliative care units or doesn't need palliative care anymore.

Furthermore the relatives will complete a follow-up survey and the diagnostic questionnaire PGD-13 at respectively 6 months (T3) and 18 months (T4) after the death of the patient (post loss). It will be evaluated whether there are any diffences in the grief symptoms of relatives of patients with a malign versus non-malign disease. It will also be evaluated whether there is an association between the intervention the relatives received from the palliative care unit at Rigshospital and their grief symptoms post loss.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• relatives of palliative care patients with relation to Department of Palliative Care, (Rigshospitalet)
• relatives identified by the patient

Exclusion criteria

• relatives who do not read or understand danish
• relatives who are cognitive disabled

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 1 patient group

Identified support needs

Other group

Description:

Identified need of either support from a psychologist, nurse, doctor, socialworker or a combination of theese.

Treatment:

Other: Support of relatives