Starlight Therapy in Palliative Care
- Conditions
- Symptom Management
- Interventions
- Other: Starlight Therapy
- Registration Number
- NCT03716999
- Lead Sponsor
- Nova Scotia Health Authority
- Brief 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".
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- NOT_YET_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 100
- ESAS indicates at least one of the following symptoms:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Dyspnea
- Pain
-
Clinical Diagnosis of blindness
-
ESAS does not include any of the flowing symptoms:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Dyspnea
- Pain
Study & Design
- Study Type
- OBSERVATIONAL
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Palliative Care Patients Starlight Therapy Palliative care Patients meeting criteria will receive Starlight Therapy
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Using Starlight Therapy to measure Change in Unpleasant Symptoms in Palliative Care Patients as measured using the ESAS (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) Scale. On a scale of 0-10, with 0 = no symptom and 10= symptom is worst outcome possible. 2 hours of Starlight Therapy Edmonton Assessment scale questionnaire will be completed before Starlight Therapy and after 2 hours.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Victoria General Hospital
🇨🇦Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada