Palliative CareNCT07574281
Effectiveness and Implementation of the DINKNESH Digital Palliative Care Tool in Ethiopia
A study testing DINKNESH App and Paper based tool in people with Palliative Care, run by Addis Ababa University at 1 site in Ethiopia.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital health app called DINKNESH is effective for palliative care identification compared to traditional paper-based assessment tools. It will also look at the factors that help or hinder the use of this app in primary care settings. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Palliative Care
- What is being tested?
- DINKNESH App and Paper based tool
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,152 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEthiopia
- Study dates
- 5 Apr 2026to 15 May 2026
- 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
- For patients(Quantitative Part):
- Adults aged 18 years or older
- Currently diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions and receiving home-based follow-up care from a participating Family Health Team within the catchment area of a selected study cluster
- Willing to provide verbal informed consent, or has a primary caregiver willing to provide proxy consent
- For healthcare workers:
- Staff members of the Family Health Team at the selected clusters
- Involved in delivering or supervising palliative care services during the study period
- For the qualitative part: Participated in the DINKNESH App implementation process and is willing to participate in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
Who cannot join
- For patients
- Patients whose clinical condition prevents both self-participation and proxy participation in the assessment process
- Patients already formally identified and referred for palliative care prior to the study period
- For healthcare workers:
- Staff members planning to be absent for more than 1 day during the six-week active study period
- Healthworkers not present during the training session
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Ethiopia1 site
Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau primary health centres (12 selected)
Addis Ababa, 1000
About this study
Official title: Effectiveness and Implementation Determinants of the DINKNESH App Compared to Paper-Based Assessment Tools for Palliative Care: A Mixed-Methods Cluster Randomized Trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital health app called DINKNESH is effective for palliative care identification compared to traditional paper-based assessment tools. It will also look at the factors that help or hinder the use of this app in primary care settings.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Read more
Does the DINKNESH app improve palliative care assessments compared to paper forms?
What are the main barriers and facilitators for Health Extension Workers when using the app in their daily work?
We will compare the DINKNESH app to standard paper-based tools to see if digital tools improve clinical assessment and implementation.
Participants will:
Be assessed for palliative care needs using either the DINKNESH mobile app or standard paper forms.
Receive routine follow-up care as determined by their health provider.
(For health workers): Participate in interviews or surveys to discuss their experience using the assigned assessment tool.
- Conditions
- Palliative Care
- Being tested
- DINKNESH App, Paper based tool
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
DINKNESH AppOther
A mobile-based digital health application designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. The application digitizes validated clinical tools, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) along with reference materials
Paper based toolOther
A paper-based clinical assessment protocol designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. It incorporates the same validated clinical tools used in the intervention arm, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS), administered manually during routine home visits without the use of a digital application and reference material.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| DINKNESH App | Experimental | Healthcare workers (Family Health Teams) in these clusters will utilize the DINKNESH mobile application during routine home-based visits to systematically identify and assess patients requiring palliative care. The app integrates validated tools (SPICT, ECOG, IPOS) and provides clinical decision support for symptom management, counseling, and referral protocols Receives: Other: DINKNESH App |
| Paper based Tool | Active comparator | Family Health Teams in these clusters will provide home-based chronic care services following standard paper based without the use of the digital application. Receives: Other: Paper based tool |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Rate of identification of patients with palliative care needs.
The primary outcome is the rate of palliative care identifications, calculated as the number of individuals identified as requiring palliative care divided by the total number of chronic patient visit conducted by the Family Health Teams during the study period.
Measured: 6 weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
Qualitative assessment of implementation barriers and enablers.
Evaluation of implementation determinants (barriers and facilitators) through focus group discussions with health extension workers
Measured: 6 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 May 2026
- Study start5 Apr 2026
- Primary completion15 May 2026
- Study completion15 May 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Palliative CareStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,152 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Addis Ababa University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Meheret Y. Amare, Addis Ababa University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07574281
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MPH/039/18
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 11 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effectiveness and Implementation Determinants of the DINKNESH App Compared to Paper-Based Assessment Tools for Palliative Care: A Mixed-Methods Cluster Randomized Trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07574281
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MPH/039/18
- Conditions
- Palliative Care
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,152 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Addis Ababa UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 5 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 May 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 May 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 7 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital health app called DINKNESH is effective for palliative care identification compared to traditional paper-based assessment tools. It will also look at the factors that help or hinder the use of this app in primary care settings.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the DINKNESH app improve palliative care assessments compared to paper forms?
What are the main barriers and facilitators for Health Extension Workers when using the app in their daily work?
We will compare the DINKNESH app to standard paper-based tools to see if digital tools improve clinical assessment and implementation.
Participants will:
Be assessed for palliative care needs using either the DINKNESH mobile app or standard paper forms.
Receive routine follow-up care as determined by their health provider.
(For health workers): Participate in interviews or surveys to discuss their experience using the assigned assessment tool.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| DINKNESH App | Experimental | Other: DINKNESH AppHealthcare workers (Family Health Teams) in these clusters will utilize the DINKNESH mobile application during routine home-based visits to systematically identify and assess patients requiring palliative care. The app integrates validated tools (SPICT, ECOG, IPOS) and provides clinical decision support for symptom management, counseling, and referral protocols |
| Paper based Tool | Active comparator | Other: Paper based toolFamily Health Teams in these clusters will provide home-based chronic care services following standard paper based without the use of the digital application. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- For patients(Quantitative Part):
- For healthcare workers:
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- For patients
- For healthcare workers:
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| DINKNESH AppA mobile-based digital health application designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. The application digitizes validated clinical tools, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) along with reference materials | Other | DINKNESH App |
| Paper based toolA paper-based clinical assessment protocol designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. It incorporates the same validated clinical tools used in the intervention arm, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS), administered manually during routine home visits without the use of a digital application and reference material. | Other | Paper based Tool |
Primary outcome
Rate of identification of patients with palliative care needs.
Time frame: 6 weeks
The primary outcome is the rate of palliative care identifications, calculated as the number of individuals identified as requiring palliative care divided by the total number of chronic patient visit conducted by the Family Health Teams during the study period.
1 secondary outcome
Qualitative assessment of implementation barriers and enablers.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Sep 2026.
Related trials for Palliative Care
Not yet recruitingObservational study
IN-TALK: Co-producing a Hospice Intimacy Support Toolkit in England
Communication About Intimacy Needs in Hospice and Palliative Care
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Psilocybin With Psychotherapy for Improving Chronic Pain in Cancer Patients Requiring Opioids
Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm, Malignant Solid Neoplasm
RecruitingPhase 1/2
Interstitial Photodynamic Therapy Following Palliative Radiotherapy in Treating Patients With Inoperable Malignant Central Airway Obstruction
Malignant Solid Neoplasm
Active, not recruiting
LiverPAL: A Trial of Inpatient Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Liver Disease
Liver Disease Chronic, End Stage Liver DIsease
Not yet recruiting
Comparing Radiotherapy Dose Strategies for Symptom Relief in Large Solid Tumors
Solid Tumor
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing DINKNESH App and Paper based tool in people with Palliative Care, run by Addis Ababa University at 1 site in Ethiopia.
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 8 inclusion and 6 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 11 Sep 2026. 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 Ethiopia. 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?
Rate of identification of patients with palliative care needs. (time frame: 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 11 Sep 2026.