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CancerNCT01979146

Cancer & Chemotherapy Symptom Management Using an Automated Telephone Reporting System

A study testing Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert in people with Cancer, run by University of Utah at 3 sites 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 was to test the efficacy of a computer-based automated symptom monitoring telephone system used by patients who received chemotherapy for their cancer to communicate unrelieved symptoms they experienced to their oncology providers. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Cancer
What is being tested?
Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
250 participants
Where
3 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Apr 2001to Mar 2004
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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

  • Adult (18 or older)
  • Histological Diagnosis of Cancer
  • Life Expectancy of at least 6 months
  • Cognitively able to participate (verified by provider team)
  • Initiated a course of new Chemotherapy that is planned for a minimum of 3 cycles
  • Had Poorly controlled symptoms during the first cycle of chemotherapy
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Care under the direction of one of the designated provider teams
  • English or Spanish speaking
  • Has access to a telephone on a daily basis
  • Able to use the telephone unassisted

Who cannot join

  • Receiving concurrent radiation therapy because they would be in daily contact with oncology care providers.
  • Patients seeing the provider team for recommendation of chemotherapy regimen but other providers then administer treatment at different site
  • Patients receiving a treatment regimen with only biotherapy agents or agents not associated with the symptoms monitored

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 1 country.

United States3 sites
  • Boston Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02118

  • South Carolina Community Oncology Practice

    Greer, South Carolina, 29650

  • University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute

    Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Telephone Linked Care for Cancer Symptom Management

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a computer-based automated symptom monitoring telephone system used by patients who received chemotherapy for their cancer to communicate unrelieved symptoms they experienced to their oncology providers.

Read the detailed description

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a computer-based automated symptom monitoring telephone system used by patients who received chemotherapy for their cancer to communicate unrelieved symptoms they experienced to their oncology providers. The symptoms monitored in the project were nausea/vomiting, pain, sore mouth, diarrhea, constipation, depressed mood, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and fatigue. The study randomly assigned participants into either the intervention group or the group that received usual care from their oncology providers without alert notifications. All participants called the automated system daily to report their symptom presence, severity, and distress. When participants in the intervention group rated symptoms at moderate (4-7) to severe (8-10) levels an e-mail alert report of their symptom information was sent to the participant's medical oncologist and oncology nurse. The usual care group also reported symptoms daily to the automated system but their information was not sent to the providers. Participants in the usual care group were told daily to call their oncology provider if they had concerns about their symptoms. The two study groups were compared over chemotherapy cycles 2 and 3 on symptom presence, severity, and distress. Functional status, patient reported degree of symptom interference with normal activities, and work attendance if they had indicated that they worked during their treatment were also recorded. In addition, the groups were compared for the number and purpose of unscheduled patient-provider contacts, visits to the emergency department or urgent care facility, and unscheduled hospitalizations.

Conditions
Cancer
Being tested
Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert
Keywords
Cancer
Medical subject headings
Neoplasms

What participants receive

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

  • Provider Unrelieved Symptom AlertOther

    The Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert intervention sent an automatic symptom report to oncology providers (both physician and nurse) when the patient reported symptoms at a moderate to severe level (4-10 on a 0-10 scale). The oncology providers used their clinical judgement in terms of what they did with the information received. There was no prescribed response as part of the intervention.

Study groups in NCT01979146
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Provider Unrelieved Symptom AlertExperimentalPatients in the intervention arm called the automated monitoring system daily to report presence, severity and distress on a 1-10 scale for nine symptoms. The system immediately sent an emailed symptom alert report to their oncologist and oncology nurse if symptoms exceeded preset thresholds (moderate to severe levels). Two thresholds were set: a simple alert when severity or distress was 4 or greater on the 10 point scale and trend alerts based on a pattern of moderate severity over several days.
Receives: Other: Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert
Attentional Control Usual Care GroupNo interventionPatients in the usual care group called the automated monitoring system daily to report presence, severity and distress (1-10 scale) on 9 symptoms and also measured symptom interference with daily activities, functional status, work attendance, and unscheduled provider visits, urgent care and emergency department visits, and unscheduled hospitalizations. The usual care group received equivalent contact time with the automated system including identical voice and assessment questions. Data were not available for clinical action and not reported to the oncology providers. On every call, usual care participants were reminded to call their oncology provider if they had symptom concerns, which is the usual practice in oncology settings to address unrelieved symptoms.

What is being measured

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

  1. Patient reported symptom levels on a 0-10 scale

    During daily automated calls, patients provided information about common chemotherapy symptoms.

    Measured: patients report symptoms daily for the duration of the study, an expected average of 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Medical Encounters Telephone Interview

    When a patient reports during their daily phone call with the automated symptom monitoring system that they had been in contact with a health care provider, the research staff would conduct a short telephone interview to collect data about the nature of the medical encounter including whether the medical encounter was related to the symptoms being monitored by the system.

    Measured: participants will be followed for an expected average of 6 weeks

  2. Functional Status

    The SF-12 was administered monthly to measure functional status.

    Measured: monthly for the duration of the study, participants will be followed for an expected average of 6 weeks

  3. Work Attendance

    Patients who indicated at study enrollment that they planned to work during treatment answered a yes/no question during the automated symptom monitoring system call to report whether or not they worked the previous day.

    Measured: reported daily, participants will be followed for an expected average of 6 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted8 Nov 2013 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2001
  3. Primary completionMar 2004
  4. Study completionMar 2004

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
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
250 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01979146
Sponsor's protocol ID
7846-00
Other IDs
R01CA089474
Status last verified
Feb 2017
First submitted
22 Oct 2013
Last updated
1 Mar 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Provider Unrelieved Symptom Alert in people with Cancer, run by University of Utah at 3 sites 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 10 inclusion and 3 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 1 Mar 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Patient reported symptom levels on a 0-10 scale (time frame: patients report symptoms daily for the duration of the study, an expected average of 6 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 1 Mar 2017.

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