EMPOWER 3: Improving Palliative Care Health Literacy and Utilization

Purpose

Through this award, Michael Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, a psychologist at the Tulane Cancer Center in Louisiana, will lead a study called EMPOWER 3 designed to test an educational intervention to help patients understand palliative care, use it, and feel better emotionally and physically. Participants will be adults with serious cancer diagnoses. Participants will be randomized into two groups. Patients in the control group will get enhanced usual care, meaning standard cancer care and several additional healthcare-related brochures. Patients in the intervention group will get enhanced usual care plus an educational video developed by the investigators and other materials designed to increase understanding and use of palliative care. Family members of patients in the intervention group may also attend if desired. The investigators will track participants' understanding of palliative care, attitudes toward palliative care, symptoms over 6 months of follow-up, and palliative care utilization.

Conditions

  • Cancer
  • Neoplasm Malignant

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Adult, age 18 or older 2. Meets criteria for 2a or 2b. 2a) The patient's doctor believes they may be appropriate for palliative cancer care OR 2b) The patient has a new diagnosis, recurrence, or progression of cancer in the past 90 days AND any of the following: - Advanced cancer, such as: - Lung Cancer: Stage IIIB or IV non-small cell, or extensive stage small cell - Breast Cancer: Stage IV - Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers: Unresectable stage III or stage IV - Genitourinary (GU) Cancers: Stage IV - Melanoma: Stage IV - Hematologic Malignancies - Leukemia (e.g., acute myeloid leukemia [AML], acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL], chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL]): advanced stage, treatment refractory, poor prognosis cell type or chromosomal abnormalities, older age - Lymphoma: Stage IV or treatment refractory Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Multiple Myeloma: elevated β2-microglobulin, albumin <3.5, PCLI >1%, CRP >6µg/mL, elevated LDH, plasmablastic morphology, or abnormal chromosome 13 - Advanced heart, lung, renal (kidney), or liver disease - Two or more severe symptoms (≥7 on 0-10 scale): pain, tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, bad appetite, shortness of breath, depression, or anxiety 3. Patient can understand spoken or written English 4. Patient receives care in southeast Louisiana

Exclusion Criteria

  • Known history of receiving specialty palliative care or hospice - Significant psychiatric or other co-morbid disease that would prohibit informed consent or participation in the study - Unlikely to complete any follow-up surveys

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Supportive Care
Masking
Double (Participant, Care Provider)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention + Enhanced Usual Care 		Intervention participants receive the Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention in addition to Enhanced Usual Care
  • Behavioral: Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention
    The Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention includes a multimedia educational video plus additional resources to reinforce the video content. The Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention includes the following: - A multimedia educational video about palliative care that is individually tailored to each patient's level of education and health literacy - Take-home and online copies of the video for repeat viewing - A video summary - A question prompt list patients can use to ask clinicians more questions about palliative care - Contact information and brochures for local palliative care programs
  • Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care
    Enhanced Usual Care refers to usual care plus minor enhancement to improve quality and standardization. Enhanced Usual Care includes the following: - Usual care - A packet of flyers and handouts with general information on psychosocial oncology services derived from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), and American Cancer Society (ACS)
Other
Enhanced Usual Care 		Control participants receive Enhanced Usual Care
  • Behavioral: Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention
    The Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention includes a multimedia educational video plus additional resources to reinforce the video content. The Multimedia Psychoeducational Intervention includes the following: - A multimedia educational video about palliative care that is individually tailored to each patient's level of education and health literacy - Take-home and online copies of the video for repeat viewing - A video summary - A question prompt list patients can use to ask clinicians more questions about palliative care - Contact information and brochures for local palliative care programs
  • Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care
    Enhanced Usual Care refers to usual care plus minor enhancement to improve quality and standardization. Enhanced Usual Care includes the following: - Usual care - A packet of flyers and handouts with general information on psychosocial oncology services derived from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), and American Cancer Society (ACS)

Recruiting Locations

Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
Contact:
Michael Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Tulane University

Study Contact

Michael Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA
504-314-7545
mhoerger@tulane.edu