NCT03716999

Starlight Therapy in Palliative Care

Starlight Therapy as a Non-Pharmacological Nursing Intervention in Palliative Care

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 100 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Nova Scotia Health Authority · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Starlight Therapy™ has been shown to help alleviate end-of-life symptoms in Palliative Care patients and reduce the need for PRN or "as needed" medications. This study will investigate the efficacy of this intervention on the symptom of anxiety using a mixed-method analysis. The primary investigator hypothesizes that any anti-anxiolytic effects could be caused by the Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cell neural pathway to the amygdala.

Detailed description

Starlight Therapy has been shown (see citation) to help alleviate end-of-life symptoms in Palliative Care patients and reduce the need for PRN or "as needed" medications. This study will investigate the efficacy of this intervention using a mixed-method analysis. Starlight Therapy will be offered to patients with unpleasant end-of-life symptoms such as dyspnea, agitation, anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. The effect the Starlight Therapy has in helping alleviate these symptoms will be measured using the ESAS (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) questionnaire at baseline and following a predetermined period of time of Starlight Therapy. 10 Starlight Projectors have been purchased for the unit where the study will take place: the Inpatient Palliative Care Unit 7A, Victoria General Hospital, Centennial Building. The funding was acquired by a Comfort \& Care Grant from the QEII Foundation. The results will be compiled and analyzed in a research paper "Concerning the Efficacy and Underlying Mechanism of Starlight Therapy as a Non-Pharmacological Nursing Intervention for Palliative Care Patients".

Conditions

• Symptom Management

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Starlight Therapy	Starlight Projector will be placed in patients' rooms and project starlight on the ceilings and walls in an effort to reduce unpleasant symptoms

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-12-15
• Primary completion: 2027-11-30
• Completion: 2027-11-30
• First posted: 2018-10-23
• Last updated: 2024-08-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada