Feasibility and Acceptability of Primary Palliative Care Intervention in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Massachusetts General Hospital
Summary
Primary PC - or training HCT clinicians to deliver PC domains as part of routine practice - is an alternative model of supportive care. We have developed Sentinel, a primary PC intervention for HCT clinicians and patients. This study will assess Sentinel's feasibility and acceptability.
Description
Patients hospitalized for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) experience physical and psychological symptoms that lead to a deterioration in quality of life (QOL). Integrating specialty palliative care (PC) reduces physical and psychological symptom burden and improves QOL during HCT hospitalization. However, specialty PC remains unavailable and underused at many HCT centers. Primary PC - or training HCT clinicians to deliver PC domains as part of routine practice - is an alternative model of supportive care. We have developed Sentinel, a primary PC intervention for HCT clinicians and pat…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Undergoing autologous or allogeneic HCT at MGH Exclusion Criteria: * Prior receipt of inpatient specialty palliative care on two prior admissions in the past 6 months. * Significant uncontrolled psychiatric disorders (psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression) or other co-morbid disease (dementia, cognitive impairment), which the primary oncologist believes prohibits informed consent or ability to participate in study procedures * Inability to comprehend English as this is a preliminary/pilot study
Interventions
- BehavioralPrimary palliative care
Enrolled patient participants will receive Sentinel prior to and during their hospitalization for HCT. Prior to HCT, a transplant clinician (nurse practitioner - NP) will conduct a focused PC visit to build rapport, manage expectations regarding HCT, review anticipated symptoms, and discuss illness coping strategies. During the HCT hospitalization, HCT physicians and advanced practice providers will incorporate PC domains into their routine care of patients undergoing HCT.
Location
- Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, Massachusetts