Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30825390›Full record

ArticleCancer2019

A scale to assess religious beliefs in end-of-life medical care.

Tracy A Balboni, Holly G Prigerson, Michael J Balboni, Andrea C Enzinger, Tyler J VanderWeele, Paul K Maciejewski

3 registry-linked trialsAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT04158908 completednot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

Giving Information Systematically and Transparently in Lung and GI Cancer

TypeobservationalSponsorWeill Medical College of Cornell UniversityRan2020 to 2020Enrolled20ConditionsCritical Illness, Oncology, CommunicationArmsOncolo-GIST
NCT04179305 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

Giving Information Systematically and Transparently in Lung and GI Cancer Phase 2

TypeinterventionalSponsorWeill Medical College of Cornell UniversityRan2020 to 2023Enrolled37ConditionsCritical Illness, Oncology, CommunicationArmsOncolo-GIST, Usual Care Arm
NCT05587517 phase2recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

A Clinical Trial of Interventions to Support Family Surrogates of Critically Ill Patients

TypeinterventionalSponsorWeill Medical College of Cornell UniversityRan2022 to 2027Enrolled172ConditionsGrief, Trauma, Psychotherapy, Critical CareArmsEMPOWER, Supportive Conversation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. A Multidimensional Narrative Review of Disparities in Hospice Care Use.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Christianity.Cancer treatment and research · 2023
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tracy A BalboniDepartment of Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Holly G PrigersonCornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.
Michael J BalboniDepartment of Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Andrea C EnzingerDepartment of Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Tyler J VanderWeeleDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Paul K MaciejewskiCornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.

Funding

Disparities in COVID Disease Severity and Outcomes in New York CityUL1TR002384 · NCATS · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI JULIANNE L IMPERATO-MCGINLEY · 2017 to 2026
$86.2M
Psychosocial Approaches to Better Understanding & End-Stage Cancer Care (PROTECT)R35CA197730 · NCI · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI Holly Gwen Prigerson · 2015 to 2026
$11.2M
Quality of Death: Ethnic and Psychosocial InfluencesR01CA106370 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI PRIGERSON, HOLLY GWEN · 2004 to 2015
$4.1M
Latino vs. Non-Latino Disparities in Advance Care Planning & End-of-Life CareR01MD007652 · NIMHD · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI MACIEJEWSKI, PAUL K, PRIGERSON, HOLLY GWEN · 2014 to 2018
$1.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002384NCI NIH HHS R01 CA106370NCI NIH HHS R35 CA197730NIMHD NIH HHS R01 MD007652
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStudies postulate that certain religious beliefs related to medical care influence the end-of-life (EOL) medical decision making and care of patients with advanced cancer. Because to the best of the authors' knowledge no current measure explicitly assesses such beliefs, in the current study the authors introduced and evaluated the Religious Beliefs in EOL Medical Care (RBEC) scale, a new measure designed to assess religious beliefs within the context of EOL cancer care.

methodsThe RBEC scale consists of 7 items designed to reflect religious beliefs in EOL medical care. Its psychometric properties were evaluated in a sample of 275 patients with advanced cancer from the Coping With Cancer II study, a National Cancer Institute-funded, multisite, longitudinal, observational study of communication processes and outcomes in EOL cancer care.

resultsThe RBEC scale proved to be internally consistent (Cronbach α, .81), unidimensional, positively associated with other indicators of patients' religiousness and spirituality (establishing its convergent validity), and inversely associated with patients' terminal illness understanding and acceptance (establishing its criterion validity), suggesting its potential clinical usefulness in promoting informed EOL decision making. The majority of patients (87%) reported some ("somewhat," "quite a bit," or "a great deal") endorsement of at least 1 RBEC item and a majority (62%) endorsed ≥3 RBEC items.

conclusionsThe RBEC scale is a reliable and valid tool with which to assess religious beliefs within the context of EOL medical care, beliefs that frequently are endorsed and inversely associated with terminal illness understanding.

Indexed as

ReligionTerminal CareAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAttitude to HealthDecision MakingFemaleHospice CareHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsPsychometricsReligion and Psychologycancerend-of-life carepsychometricsreligionspirituality

Identifiers

PMID30825390
PMCPMC6525567

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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.