End-of-life CarePALLI-SMUR1NCT07895940
Prehospital Care of End-of-Life Patients by the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service: A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Use of a Comfort Care Booklet
An observational study of End-of-life Care and Palliative Care, run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, France at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
Prehospital end-of-life care presents complex clinical, ethical, relational, and organizational challenges for healthcare professionals working in the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- End-of-life Care, Palliative Care, Prehospital Emergency Care
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 6 Mar 2026to 6 Mar 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
Study population: Healthcare professionals currently working in the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service at Strasbourg University Hospitals, including physicians, nurse anesthetists, registered nurses, and ambulance personnel. Participants will be purposively sampled to represent different professional roles, levels of experience, and work patterns, including exclusively SMUR activity or mixed activity. Recruitment will continue until data saturation, with an estimated sample size of 12 to 20 participants.
Who may be able to join
- Healthcare professionals currently working in the Strasbourg SMUR at Strasbourg University Hospitals, including physicians, nurse anesthetists, registered nurses, and ambulance personnel.
- At least three months of SMUR experience.
- Voluntary agreement to participate in the study.
Who cannot join
- Professionals in a probationary period.
- Administrative or logistics personnel.
- Individuals who decline participation after receiving study information.
- Individuals who decline audio recording of the interview.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
France1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
SMUR de Strasbourg - CHU de Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg, 67091
Valérie Wilmé, MD, 33 6 89 13 46 64, valerie.wilme@chru-strasbourg.fr
Valérie Wilmé, MD
About this study
Official title: Prehospital Care of End-of-Life Patients by the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR): A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Use of a Comfort Care Booklet
Prehospital end-of-life care presents complex clinical, ethical, relational, and organizational challenges for healthcare professionals working in the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR). A comfort care booklet was introduced in the service in March 2025 to harmonize practices and improve the quality of palliative care delivered in the prehospital setting. However, professionals' experiences, perceptions of the booklet, its perceived impact on practice, and their needs have not yet been explored.
This qualitative descriptive study will explore the experiences, perceptions, and needs of SMUR healthcare professionals regarding prehospital end-of-life care and the implementation of the comfort care booklet. Individual semi-structured face-to-face interviews will be conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed anonymously, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Approximately 12 to 20 participants will be recruited through purposive sampling, with recruitment continuing until data saturation is reached.
- Conditions
- End-of-life Care, Palliative Care, Prehospital Emergency Care, Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Perceptions, Comfort Care Booklet Implementation
- Keywords
- Prehospital end-of-life care, Comfort care booklet, Qualitative study
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Data saturation regarding perceptions of prehospital end-of-life care and use of the comfort care booklet
Achievement of data saturation for the main themes emerging from qualitative interviews with SMUR healthcare professionals concerning their experiences, perceptions, needs, and use of the comfort care booklet in prehospital end-of-life care.
Measured: From study initiation until data saturation, estimated within 6 months of data collection.
Secondary outcomes (2)
Perceived usefulness and practicality of the comfort care booklet
Diversity and recurrence of professional opinions regarding the booklet's usefulness, practicality, and integration into clinical practice.
Measured: During the 6-month data collection period.
Reported difficulties and improvement needs in prehospital end-of-life care
Identification of difficulties encountered by different professional groups, concrete proposals for improvement, and needs for additional tools or training.
Measured: During the 6-month data collection period.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Oct 2026
- Study start6 Mar 2026
- Primary completion6 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion6 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for End-of-life CareStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, FranceThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07895940
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RC25_0130
- Acronym
- PALLI-SMUR1
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 26 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Prehospital Care of End-of-Life Patients by the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR): A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Use of a Comfort Care Booklet
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07895940
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PALLI-SMUR1 / RC25_0130
- Conditions
- End-of-life Care, Palliative Care, Prehospital Emergency Care, Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Perceptions, Comfort Care Booklet Implementation
- Keywords
- Prehospital end-of-life care, Comfort care booklet, Qualitative study
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Strasbourg, FranceUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 6 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 6 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 6 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Oct 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.
Prehospital end-of-life care presents complex clinical, ethical, relational, and organizational challenges for healthcare professionals working in the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR). A comfort care booklet was introduced in the service in March 2025 to harmonize practices and improve the quality of palliative care delivered in the prehospital setting. However, professionals' experiences, perceptions of the booklet, its perceived impact on practice, and their needs have not yet been explored.
This qualitative descriptive study will explore the experiences, perceptions, and needs of SMUR healthcare professionals regarding prehospital end-of-life care and the implementation of the comfort care booklet. Individual semi-structured face-to-face interviews will be conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed anonymously, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Approximately 12 to 20 participants will be recruited through purposive sampling, with recruitment continuing until data saturation is reached.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Healthcare professionals currently working in the Strasbourg Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service at Strasbourg University Hospitals, including physicians, nurse anesthetists, registered nurses, and ambulance personnel. Participants will be purposively sampled to represent different professional roles, levels of experience, and work patterns, including exclusively SMUR activity or mixed activity. Recruitment will continue until data saturation, with an estimated sample size of 12 to 20 participants.
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Healthcare professionals currently working in the Strasbourg SMUR at Strasbourg University Hospitals, including physicians, nurse anesthetists, registered nurses, and ambulance personnel.
- At least three months of SMUR experience.
- Voluntary agreement to participate in the study.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Professionals in a probationary period.
- Administrative or logistics personnel.
- Individuals who decline participation after receiving study information.
- Individuals who decline audio recording of the interview.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Data saturation regarding perceptions of prehospital end-of-life care and use of the comfort care booklet
Time frame: From study initiation until data saturation, estimated within 6 months of data collection.
Achievement of data saturation for the main themes emerging from qualitative interviews with SMUR healthcare professionals concerning their experiences, perceptions, needs, and use of the comfort care booklet in prehospital end-of-life care.
2 secondary outcomes
Perceived usefulness and practicality of the comfort care booklet
Time frame: During the 6-month data collection period.
Reported difficulties and improvement needs in prehospital end-of-life care
Time frame: During the 6-month data collection period.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Oct 2026.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of End-of-life Care and Palliative Care, run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, France at 1 site in France.
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 3 inclusion and 4 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Oct 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 France. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Valérie Wilmé, MD (33 6 89 13 46 64, valerie.wilme@chru-strasbourg.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Data saturation regarding perceptions of prehospital end-of-life care and use of the comfort care booklet (time frame: From study initiation until data saturation, estimated within 6 months of data collection.). 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 26 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.