Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24969786›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2014

Discussing prognosis and end-of-life care in the final year of life: a randomised controlled trial of a nurse-led communication support programme for patients and caregivers.

Adam Walczak, Phyllis N Butow, Josephine M Clayton, Martin H N Tattersall, Patricia M Davidson, Jane Young, Ronald M Epstein

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
8.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Early palliative care for adults with advanced cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Promoting End-of-Life Discussions in Advanced Cancer: Effects of Patient Coaching and Question Prompt Lists.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2017
    Trial
  6. Article
  7. The impact of a web-based prognostic calculator on prognostic confidence in outpatient palliative care.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Educational Needs in Oncology Nursing: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Culturally Adapting an Advance Care Planning Communication Intervention With American Indian and Alaska Native People in Primary Care.Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society · 2020
    Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Adam WalczakCentre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Phyllis N ButowCentre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Josephine M ClaytonCentre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia HammondCare Palliative and Supportive Care Service, Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, New South Wales, Australia.
Martin H N TattersallCentre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Patricia M DavidsonCardiovascular and Chronic Care Centre, Curtin University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jane YoungSchool of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Ronald M EpsteinDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Centre, Rochester, New York, USA.
University of Sydney · AUCurtin University · AUUniversity of Rochester Medical Center · US

Funding

RCT of Patient, Caregiver and Physician Communication Coaching in Advanced CancerR01CA140419 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI EPSTEIN, RONALD M., KRAVITZ, RICHARD L · 2011 to 2015
$2.7M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA140419
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTimely communication about life expectancy and end-of-life care is crucial for ensuring good patient quality-of-life at the end of life and a good quality of death. This article describes the protocol for a multisite randomised controlled trial of a nurse-led communication support programme to facilitate patients' and caregivers' efforts to communicate about these issues with their healthcare team. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This NHMRC-sponsored trial is being conducted at medical oncology clinics located at/affiliated with major teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Patients with advanced, incurable cancer and life expectancy of less than 12 months will participate together with their primary informal caregiver where possible. Guided by the self-determination theory of health-behaviour change, the communication support programme pairs a purpose-designed Question Prompt List (QPL-an evidence-based list of questions patients/caregivers can ask clinicians) with nurse-led exploration of QPL content, communication challenges, patient values and concerns and the value of early discussion of end-of-life issues. Oncologists are also cued to endorse patient and caregiver question asking and use of the QPL. Behavioural and self-report data will be collected from patients/caregivers approximately quarterly for up to 2.5 years or until patient death, after which patient medical records will be examined. Analyses will examine the impact of the intervention on patients' and caregivers' participation in medical consultations, their self-efficacy in medical encounters, quality-of-life, end-of-life care receipt and quality-of-death indicators. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approvals have been granted by the human ethics review committee of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and governance officers at each participating site. Results will be reported in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000724077.

Indexed as

CaregiversCommunicationPatientsTerminal CareHumansNeoplasmsPrognosisResearch DesignAdvance care planningCancerCaregiversCommunicationEnd-of-life careQuestion prompt list

Identifiers

PMID24969786
PMCPMC4078787
OpenAlexW2156701038

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.