AzTrials
AzTrials

CancerNCT00784095

Outlook Quality of Life Intervention

A study testing Life completion and preparation in people with Cancer and Congestive Heart Failure, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether discussions of life story, forgiveness, and future goals improve quality of life for patients with serious illness. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Life completion and preparation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
36 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Dec 2008to May 2009
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients with advanced cancer, CHF or COPD.

Who cannot join

  • Cognitive impairment, inability to speak, non-English speaking

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Durham VA Medical Center HSR&D COE

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Outlook: An Intervention to Improve Quality of Life in Serious Illness

The purpose of this study is to determine whether discussions of life story, forgiveness, and future goals improve quality of life for patients with serious illness.

Read the detailed description

This is a pilot randomized control trial to evaluate the feasibility of the Outlook intervention. 36 veterans with advanced cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups and complete a brief battery of pre-test measures. Subjects in the first group ("treatment") will meet with a facilitator three times for a period of 45 min-1 hour. In the first session, subjects will be asked to discuss issues related to life review. In the second session, participants will be asked to speak in more depth about issues such as regret, forgiveness and things left undone, In the final session, subjects will focus on heritage and legacy. The subjects in the second group ("attention control") will meet with a facilitator three times for a period of 45 min- 1 hour and listen to a non-guided relaxation compact disk (CD). The third group of participants ("true control") will be exposed to no intervention or attention control. One week and two weeks later, participants in all groups will receive post-test measures administered by a blinded interviewer.

Being tested
Life completion and preparation, Attention Control
Keywords
quality of life
Medical subject headings
Neoplasms, Heart Failure, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Life completion and preparationOther

    Subjects will discuss life review, issues of forgiveness and heritage and legacy.

  • Attention ControlOther

    Subjects will listen to a non-guided relaxation CD.

Study groups in NCT00784095
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Preparation and CompletionExperimentalSubjects in the first group ("treatment") met with the facilitator three times for a period of forty-five minutes to one hour to discuss issues of life completion and preparation. In the first session, subjects were asked to discuss issues related to life review. In session two, participants spoke about issues of regret and forgiveness. In the final session, subjects discussed issues of heritage and legacy.
Receives: Other: Life completion and preparation
Attention ControlActive comparatorThe subjects in the second group ("attention control") met with a facilitator three times for 45 minutes and listened to a non-guided relaxation CD.
Receives: Other: Attention Control
True ControlNo interventionSubjects in the third group ("true control") were exposed to no intervention or attention control.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Quality of Life - Preparation

    Quality Of Life At The End Of Life (the QUAL-E 2009) is a 31 item measure of quality of life at the end of life assessing five domains: life completion, relationship with health care providers, preparation for death, physical symptoms and affective social support. The 4-item preparation sub-scale is a primary outcomes measure with each item scaled from 1 to 5 with a minimum of 5, maximum of 20 score with higher scores indicating better preparation.

    Measured: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow up

  2. QUAL-E Completion Sub-scale

    A sub-scale of the QUAL-E quality of life at the end of life measures. The scale range was 5-35 with higher scores indicating more positive sense of completion.

    Measured: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow up

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Functional Status ADL

    Rosow-Breslau Activities of Daily Living scale range 17-51 with higher scores indicating greater ability.

    Measured: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow ups

  2. Center for Epidemiology Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D)

    Center for Epidemiology Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) is a 10-item measure of depression. Items are rated on a 4 point likert scale with total scores ranging from 0-30. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms.

    Measured: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow up

  3. POMS Anxiety Sub-scale

    The anxiety sub-scale from the modified Brief Profile of Mood States (POMS) is a 5-item measure of psychological distress.Items are on a 5-point likert scale with scoring ranging from 5-25. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

    Measured: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow ups

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2008
  3. Primary completionMay 2009
  4. Study completionMay 2009

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
36 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00784095
Sponsor's protocol ID
IAD 07-162
Status last verified
Mar 2016
First submitted
30 Oct 2008
Last updated
22 Mar 2016
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Sautter JM, Tulsky JA, Johnson KS, Olsen MK, Burton-Chase AM, Lindquist JH, Zimmerman S, Steinhauser KE. Caregiver experience during advanced chronic illness and last year of life. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Jun;62(6):1082-90. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12841. Epub 2014 May 6.

    PubMed 24803020

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Life completion and preparation in people with Cancer and Congestive Heart Failure, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Mar 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 22 Mar 2016). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Quality of Life - Preparation (time frame: Baseline, 6 and 8 week follow up). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00784095, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Mar 2016.

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