Integrative Care Training Program for Nurses on Supportive Cancer Care
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The integration of complementary medicine in supportive and palliative cancer care (i.e., Integrative Oncology) is becoming more prevalent in many of the leading oncology centers in Israel and worldwide. Guidelines for these practices, as established by the Society for Integrative Oncology, were adopted in 2018 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
The proposed study will be conducted within a pragmatic, randomized and controlled format, and will examine the impact of a nurse-guided intervention on 540 oncology patients undergoing Integrative Oncology treatments for quality of life (QOL)-related concerns during adjuvant/neo-adjuvant or curative/palliative treatments. Patients in both study arms will undergo patient-tailored integrative treatments, which will include manual and relaxation therapies, acupuncture and lifestyle changes. The integrative treatments will be provided by trained integrative oncology practitioners. Patients in the intervention arm of the study will receive additional nurse-guided instruction in the self-administration of manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine practices.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
The integration of complementary medicine in supportive and palliative cancer care (i.e., Integrative Oncology) is becoming more prevalent in many of the leading oncology centers in Israel and worldwide. Guidelines for these practices, as established by the Society for Integrative Oncology, were adopted in 2018 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
The proposed study will be conducted within a pragmatic, randomized and controlled format, and will examine the impact of a nurse-guided intervention on 540 oncology patients undergoing Integrative Oncology treatments for quality of life (QOL)-related concerns during adjuvant/neo-adjuvant or curative/palliative treatments. Patients in both study arms will undergo patient-tailored integrative treatments, which will include manual and relaxation therapies, acupuncture and lifestyle changes. The integrative treatments will be provided by trained integrative oncology practitioners. Patients in the intervention arm of the study will receive additional nurse-guided instruction in the self-administration of manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine practices.
The primary study outcome will be the assessment of the impact of the integrative treatment (with vs. without the nurse-guided intervention) on patient QOL-related concerns, from baseline to 48 hours following the intervention. For this purpose, two patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) will be administered: the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Measure Yourself Concern and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures will include the need for medications for supportive/palliative care-related indications (pain, nausea, anxiety/depression, constipation/diarrhea, etc.); and the rates of referral of patients to the services provided by the supportive/palliative care service.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Nurse-guided arm Nurse-provided guidance following an integrative medicine treatment program, for patient implementation of self-administered manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine. |
Other: Nurse-provided guidance
Nurse-provided guidance following an integrative medicine treatment program, for patient implementation of self-administered manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine.
Other: Integrative medicine treatment program
Integrative medicine treatment program
|
| Active Comparator: Non nurse-guided arm Integrative medicine treatment program, with no nurse-provided guidance on patient implementation of self-administered manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine. |
Other: Integrative medicine treatment program
Integrative medicine treatment program
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) [48 hours]
Scale from 0 (not bothering me at all) to 6 (bothers me greatly)
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) [24 hours]
Scale from 0 (no symptom) to 10 (worst possible symptom)
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Oncology patients undergoing treatment within an adjuvant, neo-adjuvant, curative or palliative setting.
Exclusion Criteria:
-
Patients who are unable to sign informed consent
-
Pregnant patients
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Medical Center | Haifa | Israel | 3515209 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Carmel Medical Center
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- CMC-18-0139-CTIL