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Recruiting

Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) Training

NCT05456841 · Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
In plain English

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Official title
Empathic Communication Skills Training to Reduce Lung Cancer Stigma
About this study
The aims of this study are: 1. to evaluate the effect of the ECS training on OCP primary outcomes (communication and empathic skill uptake) and secondary outcomes (ECS training appraisal - relevance, novelty, clarity; self-efficacy, empathy, compassion burn-out); 2. to evaluate the effect of the ECS training vs. WLC on patients' reported primary outcomes (lung cancer stigma), and secondary outcomes (perceived clinician empathy, satisfaction with communication, psychological distress, patients' experience of clinical encounter, and overall patient satisfaction). Additionally, acceptance of referral to tobacco cessation (for those currently smoking) will be explored; and 3. to examine potential moderators of OCP (e.g., demographic characteristics, professional role characteristics) and patient outcomes (e.g., demographic characteristics, illness characteristics). Our central hypothesis is that the ECS training will demonstrate significant short-term improvements in clinicians' uptake of empathic skills and self-efficacy and will be superior to WLC with regards to patient reported measures of stigma, clinician empathy, satisfaction, and overall experience.
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Site Eligibility * Employs at least 15 FTE OCPs (i.e., oncologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) as per self report * Reports a clinic volume of at least 20 new lung cancer patients per month as per self report OCP Participant Eligibility * OCPs who are thoracic oncology physicians (radiologists, medical oncologists, pulmonologists, and surgeons), NPs, or PAs and currently treating lung cancer patients, as per self-report; * OCP conducts consultations with lung cancer patients, as per self-report; * OCP sees at least 1 lung cancer patient per week, as per self-report; Patient Eligibility * Patient under the care of a participating OCP as per self report; * English and/or Spanish speaking; * In general, which language do you prefer to receive your medical care, English/Spanish/both English and Spanish Equally? * If English, treat as fluent in English, no additional language questions * If Spanish, treat as fluent in Spanish, no additional language questions * If both English and Spanish equally, ask the follow-up questions and go with whichever language is endorsed as best. If endorsed equally, assign to category patient prefers * How well do you speak English? Not at all/ Not well/Well/Very well * How well do you speak Spanish? Not at all/Not well/Well/Very well * Is at least 18 years of age as per self report; * Has a history of suspicious lung mass or confirmed lung cancer diagnosis, as per clinician judgment or medical record note; * Is a former or current smoking as per self report; * Has had no more than 10 prior visits with the participating OCP, as per the medical record and/or self report Exclusion Criteria: Patient Exclusion * Individuals of impaired decision-making capacity as per a clinician's judgment or as documented in the EMR. Site and OCP Exclusion * None
Study design
Enrollment target: 1232 participants
Allocation: randomized
Masking: double
Age groups: adult, older_adult
Timeline
Starts: 2023-04-28
Estimated completion: 2026-08-31
Last updated: 2026-03-17
Interventions
Behavioral: Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) trainingOther: Standard of Care participant interaction
Primary outcomes
  • Uptake of communication skills using standardized patient assessment/SPAs (3 months)
  • Uptake of empathy skills using standardized patient assessment/SPAs (3 months)
Sponsor
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · other
With: American Cancer Society, Inc., Go2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
Contacts & investigators
ContactSmita Banerjee, PhD · contact · banerjes@mskcc.org · 646-888-0011
ContactJamie Ostroff, PhD · contact · ostroffj@mskcc.org · 646-888-0041
InvestigatorSmita Banerjee, PhD · principal_investigator, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
All locations (12)
Providence St. Joseph Health (Data Collection Only)Completed
Irvine, California, United States
BAPTIST ALLIANCE - MCI (Data Collection Only)Recruiting
Miami, Florida, United States
Advocate Health Care NetworkRecruiting
Libertyville, Illinois, United States
University of Kentucky (Data Collection Only)Completed
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Munson Healthcare (Data Collection Only)Completed
Traverse City, Michigan, United States
Hackensack Meridian Health (Data collection only)Recruiting
Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Data Collection Only)Recruiting
Buffalo, New York, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (All Protocol Activities)Recruiting
New York, New York, United States
Virtua Health (Data Collection Only)Completed
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pennsylvania (Data Collection Only)Recruiting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Fox Chase Cancer Center (Data Collection Only)Recruiting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (Data Collection Only)Recruiting
Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) Training · TrialPath