NCT02616588

Vets Helping Vets Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 17 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 108 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a veteran patient navigator and social work counseling intervention in veterans with advanced stage cancer at the Denver VA Medical Center. This is a tiered intervention: patients first receive the veteran patient navigator component of the intervention, and then if additional patient needs are present they receive the social work counseling component of the intervention. The overall intervention will help veterans communicate their care preferences with their providers.This is a study of behavioral and care strategy interventions and involves no investigational drugs or devices.

Detailed description

Many patients with advanced cancer suffer from multiple symptoms including pain and fatigue and high rates of depression and anxiety. Many also experience end of life care that is inconsistent with their preferences. Recent studies of palliative care find that symptoms, depression, and end of life care quality improved in patients with advanced cancer with multidisciplinary, specialist palliative care compared to usual care. However, these palliative care interventions are personnel-intensive and require multiple specialist providers. Because of the costs and limited availability of specialist palliative care providers, these interventions cannot be spread to the large population of patients with advanced cancer. Thus, there is a need for scalable interventions to improve symptoms, depression, and end of life care in this patient population. Patient navigators, who often belong to the community they serve, have improved rates of cancer screening, follow up on abnormal diagnostic tests, and adherence to chemotherapy regimens. There has been increasing recognition that palliative care is an important part of patient navigation. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies outside our research program that have examined the effects of a peer navigation intervention to improve palliative care outcomes. While patient navigators hold promise for improving outcomes in patients with advanced cancer, both psychosocial care needs and documenting future care preferences and goals may be complex. Therefore, the proposed intervention will supplement veteran patient navigators with a social work psychosocial intervention. The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the feasibility of a stepped care intervention including a veteran patient navigator and social worker.

Conditions

• Advanced Stage Cancer

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Veteran Patient Navigator and Social Work Intervention	Each study participant will receive a veteran patient navigator intervention which consists of five study visits consisting of advance care planning, pain/symptom management, and education about hospice and palliative care. When clinically indicated, patients will be referred to a social work intervention providing psychosocial care and support.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-02-01
• Primary completion: 2017-04-01
• Completion: 2017-04-01
• First posted: 2015-11-30
• Last updated: 2017-05-11