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Telehealth vs In-Person Palliative Care for Lung Cancer (REACH PC Trial)

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Jennifer Temel, MD

Research Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status from 0 (asymptomatic) to 3 (symptomatic and in bed >50% of the day)

Age > or = 18 years

Must not have

Already receiving outpatient PC or hospice services

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up up to 5 years

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is testing different ways to give palliative care to people with newly diagnosed lung cancer and their families.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for adults over 18 with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, treated without the aim of cure and informed about their condition within the last 12 weeks. They must be able to communicate in English or Spanish, live where the care team is licensed, and have a close contact involved. Excluded are those already in outpatient palliative care or hospice, or with cognitive/psychiatric conditions affecting consent.

What is being tested?

The study compares two ways of delivering palliative care: through telehealth services versus traditional in-person visits. It aims to determine which method better supports patients recently diagnosed with lung cancer and their families.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves methods of care delivery rather than medication, there aren't typical drug side effects. However, participants may experience differences in satisfaction, convenience, emotional well-being based on whether they receive telehealth or in-person palliative care.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

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I can take care of myself but may spend more than half the day in bed due to my condition.

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I am 18 years old or older.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

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I am currently getting palliative care or hospice services as an outpatient.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ up to 5 years

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~up to 5 years

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 5 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Secondary study objectives

Caregiver satisfaction as measured by the Satisfaction with Care Delivery Questionnaire

Length of stay in hospice as collected per medical record review

Patient communication about end-of-life (EOL) care preferences as measured by patient self-report of communication about their wishes if they were dying

+2 more

Other study objectives

Anxiety

Caregiver prognostic understanding as measured by the Prognosis and Treatment Perception Questionnaire (PTPQ)

Caregiver quality of life (QOL) as measured by the Caregiver Oncology QOL Questionnaire

+7 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: TelehealthExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

* Patients will meet with the PC clinician in person within four weeks of enrollment * Subsequent visits with the PC clinician will be conducted with the patients in their home or other location using video at least every four weeks * Patients may be scheduled to meet with the PC clinician in the clinic if requested by the patient or a clinician

Group II: In Person PCActive Control1 Intervention

* Patients will be scheduled for their first In-person PC visit within four weeks of enrollment and then at least every four weeks thereafter until the patient is no longer coming into the clinic * PC visits will be scheduled on the same day as an oncology visit if possible

0 / 3Eligibility criteria met