The MuSt-PC: a Feasibility Study on Intent to Use a Tool With Regard to Symptom Management

Recruiting

• Conditions: Palliative Medicine
• Interventions: Other: Survey

• Registration Number: NCT06110624
• Lead Sponsor: University Medical Center Groningen

Brief Summary

A study on the intent to use a tool (MuSt-PC) to manage symptoms of patients in a palliative care trajectory.

Detailed Description

A survey study will be conducted to evaluate if GHCPs have the Intention to Use (IU) MuSt- PC in daily practice. GHCPs are recruited via the connections of the seven Centers of Expertise in Palliative Care. To invite them to participate in the study, the GHCPs are approached directly via e-mail or telephone. Participating GHCPs will be educated on how to use MuSt-PC (educational materials and instruction webinar). GHCPs will be asked to use the CDSS for five individual patients. Every time after using MuSt-PC they will be asked to answer additional questions about their experience with using MuSt-PC in that specific instance. After using MuSt-PC for five patients, they are requested to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire about their overall experiences with using the CDSS.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-10-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-10-24
• Study First Posted: 2023-10-31
• Study Start: 2024-04-18
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Primary Completion: 2024-12-31
• Study Completion: 2024-12-31
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-31
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

Residents (in Dutch: Arts In Opleiding tot Specialist (AIOS) or Arts Niet In Opleiding tot Specialist (ANIOS)), medical specialists and nurse practitioners working in the following disciplines are invited to participate:

• General practice

• Nursing home

• Hospital:

  • Clinical geriatrics
  • Medical oncology
  • Radiation oncology
  • Pulmonology
  • Cardiology

Exclusion Criteria

HCPs who were formally trained in palliative care ("kaderopleiding palliatieve zorg", "Masteropleiding Palliative Medicine for Health Care Professionals at Cardiff University" or "post-HBO opleiding palliatieve zorg") and/or who have been or are currently a consultant of a palliative care consultation team are considered specialists in palliative care, are excluded from participation.

GHCPs (e.g. nurses) who cannot independently decide about CDSS recommendation adherence, including drug interventions, are excluded from participation.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Arm 1	Survey	A targeted sample of healthcare providers (HCPs) who are not specialized in palliative care (GHCPs) constitutes the study population.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Questions evaluating Intention to Use (IU)	after 5 times use of the MuSt-PC tool within 3 months	Questions evaluating Intention to Use (IU) (7-point Likert scales)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Suggestions to improve the MuSt-PC CDSS	after 5 times of the MuSt-PC tool within 3 months	Suggestions to improve the MuSt-PC CDSS (open-ended question).
Questions evaluating other modified TAM domains	after 5 times use of the MuSt-PC tool within 3 months	Questions evaluating other modified TAM domains: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease-of-Use, Attitude, Compatibility, Subjective norm, Facilitators, Habit (7-point Likert Scales).
Perceived benefits and disadvantages of using MuSt-PC	after 5 times use within 3 months	Perceived benefits and disadvantages of using MuSt-PC (open-ended questions).
Most useful elements of MuSt-PC will be evaluated with a multiple-choice question.	after 5 times use within 3 months	Most useful elements of MuSt-PC will be evaluated with a multiple-choice question. (multiple answers allowed) Frequency and percentage of total respondents who chose the multiple choice answer possibilities will be evaluated
Mean scores of HCPs adherence to CDSS recommendations	after 5 times use of the MuSt-PC tool within 3 months	Mean scores (5-point Likert scale) of HCPs adherence to CDSS recommendations (each time using MuSt-PC)
An overview of the content of questions of participating GHCPs regarding MuSt-PC use.	after 5 times use within 3 months	An overview of the content of questions of participating GHCPs regarding MuSt-PC use. Questions will be analyzed qualitatively; coding will be done independently by two researchers. In case of disagreement, consensus will be achieved through discussion. Coding will result in categorization of question subject. Categorizations are ranked from most prevalent to least prevalent question subject (proportion of respondents).

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University Medical Center Groningen; 🇳🇱 Groningen, Netherlands

LUMC; 🇳🇱 Leiden, Netherlands