Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) Training
ConditionLung Cancer
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-100
SponsorMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
About this trial
Research indicates that perceived stigma within medical encounters is prevalent and problematic for lung cancer patients' well-being and quality of cancer care. Promoting empathic communication appears to be a potentially effective intervention target to help reduce patients' perceptions of stigma within clinical encounters; however, no formal trainings exist that focus on teaching empathic communication to oncology care providers (OCPs). Building upon favorable findings from a prior R21 (R21CA202793) and the importance of developing interventions to address lung cancer stigma, our goal is to conduct a national trial of empathic communication skills (ECS) training to facilitate improvements in the medical and psychosocial care of patients through de-stigmatizing interactions with OCPs for patients diagnosed with lung cancer.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Employs at least 15 FTE OCPs (i.e., oncologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) as per self report
Reports a clinic volume of at least 20 new lung cancer patients per month as per self report
OCPs who are thoracic oncology physicians (radiologists, medical oncologists, pulmonologists, and surgeons), NPs, or PAs and currently treating lung cancer patients, as per self-report;
OCP conducts consultations with lung cancer patients, as per self-report;
Disqualifiers
Individuals of impaired decision-making capacity as per a clinician's judgment or as documented in the EMR.
None
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) training
BehavioralThe overall training goal of this 2.25 hour module ECS module is to enhance OCP recognition and responsiveness to lung cancer patients' empathic opportunities by communicating understanding, alleviating stigma and distress, and providing support. The ECS training also provides tools to OCPs to buffer/inoculate patients against stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors by others such that lung cancer patients who currently or formerly smoked can be given "small doses" of an opposing viewpoint (termed as "preparing patients for recurring smoking questions") and suggestions of "counterarguments" in order to make them resistant to future stigmatizing attacks by others
Standard of Care participant interaction
Other interventionStandard of Care participant interaction
Treatment groups
1,232 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groupsGroup A: Oncology Care Providers/OCP-intervention groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Oncology Care Providers/OCP-control groupActive comparator 1 intervention
Group C: Participants with Lung Cancer-intervention groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group D: Participants with Lung Cancer-control groupActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Uptake of communication skills using standardized patient assessment/SPAs
A SPA involves a 12-minute video recorded interaction between the Oncology Care Provider/OCP and the Standardized Patient/SP on a given clinical scenario, using standardized scripts by the SP. Each OCP will participate in one SPA prior to their ECS training and one SPA following training or the timed control period. In contrast to clinical consultation recordings with varied clinical situations that do not necessitate the use of all strategies and skills, the semi-structured nature of SPAs permits appraisal of all desired elements of training.
Time frame
3 months2
Uptake of empathy skills using standardized patient assessment/SPAs
A SPA involves a 12-minute video recorded interaction between the Oncology Care Provider/OCP and the Standardized Patient/SP on a given clinical scenario, using standardized scripts by the SP. Each OCP will participate in one SPA prior to their ECS training and one SPA following training or the timed control period. In contrast to clinical consultation recordings with varied clinical situations that do not necessitate the use of all strategies and skills, the semi-structured nature of SPAs permits appraisal of all desired elements of training.
Time frame
3 monthsSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Lead sponsor
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Collaborator
Go2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov