Communication Training for Family Caregiving

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

Overseen byTalia Zaider, PhD

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to provide a communication training program to inpatient nurses and social workers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in order to help them assist caregiving families. The importance of this training program is that it aims to teach nurses and social workers how and when to respond more effectively and compassionately to challenges faced by caregiving families. One of the goals of this program is to address family support needs during a patient's hospitalization.

Research Team

Talia Zaider, PhD

Principal Investigator

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for nurses and social workers at MSKCC who can attend most training sessions. They'll work with families of inpatient cancer patients, including a designated family friend involved in care. Excluded are those under 12, non-English speakers, or anyone with severe cognitive impairment.

Inclusion Criteria

Family members were identified as a close other (including a family friend) involved in the care of an admitted patient on a participating provider's floor

Patient has been admitted to an inpatient service at MSKCC

I plan to attend most of the training and consolidation sessions.

See 2 more

Exclusion Criteria

I am, or have a family member, younger than 12 years old.

I or a family member do not speak English.

Determined to not be appropriate for this study as per clinical judgment

See 1 more

Treatment Details

Interventions

questionnaires (Behavioral Intervention)
Working with the Caregiving Family (WCF) training (Behavioral Intervention)

Trial OverviewThe study tests a communication training program called Working with the Caregiving Family (WCF). It aims to improve how healthcare providers support and interact with families of hospitalized cancer patients through didactic and consolidation sessions.

Participant Groups

1Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Working with the Caregiving Family (WCF) trainingExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

This is a new training curriculum for inpatient oncology providers called Working with the Caregiving Family (WCF) training, a program designed to teach MSKCC inpatient staff to address family-level concerns during acute hospitalization. The WCF training will teach staff to recognize and inquire about areas of family distress that are likely to impact the caregiving process; to provide brief, supportive interventions, and/or to transition families to specialized support services when needed. We will provide staff with skills to address especially challenging family situations (e.g., noncompliance with medical care, conflict, poor communication) in collaborative and compassionate ways. We will teach clinicians to intervene and respond more effectively when problematic relationships develop within families or between families and larger systems (e.g., medical team, institutional programs).