Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32398130›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2020

Evaluation of a communication skills training to facilitate addressing palliative care related topics in advanced cancer patients: study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial (PALLI-KOM).

Nele Harnischfeger, Hilke M Rath, Anneke Ullrich, Bernd Alt-Epping, Anne Letsch, Peter Thuss-Patience, Carsten Bokemeyer, Karin Oechsle, Corinna Bergelt

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. 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

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Nele HarnischfegerDepartment of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, Palliative Care Unit, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. n.harnischfeger@uke.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9121-8782
Hilke M RathDepartment of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Anneke UllrichDepartment of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, Palliative Care Unit, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Bernd Alt-EppingDepartment of Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
Anne LetschDepartment of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Campus Kiel, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
Peter Thuss-PatienceMedical Department, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow Clinic, Charite University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Carsten BokemeyerDepartment of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, Palliative Care Unit, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Karin OechsleDepartment of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, Palliative Care Unit, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Corinna BergeltDepartment of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Universität Hamburg · DECharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · DEChristian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel · DEUniversity of Göttingen · DE

Funding

Deutsche Krebshilfe 70113231
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEarly integration of palliative care concurrently to standard cancer care is associated with several benefits for patients and their caregivers. However, communication barriers on part of the caring physicians often impede a timely referral to palliative care. This study describes the protocol of the evaluation of a communication skills training aiming to strengthen the ability of physicians to address palliative care related topics adequately and early during disease trajectory.

methodsWe will implement a communication skills training and evaluate it within a prospective, multi-centered, two-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT), which will be conducted at four sites in Germany. Eligible subjects are all physicians treating patients with advanced cancer in their daily routine. An intervention group (IG) receiving a group training will be compared to a wait-list control group (CG) receiving the training after completion of data collection. At pre- and post-measurement points, participants will conduct videotaped conversations with standardized simulated patients (SP). Primary outcome will be the external rating of communication skills and consulting competencies addressing palliative care related topics. Secondary outcomes on core concepts of palliative care, basic knowledge, attitudes, confidence and self-efficacy will be assessed by standardized questionnaires and self-developed items. A further external assessment of the quality of physician-patient-interaction will be conducted by the SP. Longitudinal quantitative data will be analyzed using covariate-adjusted linear mixed-models. DISCUSSION: If the communication skills training proves to be effective, it will provide a feasible intervention to promote an earlier communication of palliative care related topics in the care of advanced cancer patients. This would help to further establish early integration of palliative care as it is recommended by national and international guidelines.

trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017025 (date of registration: 4 June 2019).

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPalliative CareSocial SkillsCommunicationHumansMulticenter Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAdvanced cancerCommunication skills trainingEarly integration of palliative careEducationOncologyPalliative carePhysician-patient-communicationRCT

Identifiers

PMID32398130
PMCPMC7218622
OpenAlexW3027989212

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.