Communication and Hospice Online With Optimal Support and Engagement (CHOOSE)
Washington University School of Medicine
Summary
The project is a multisite, three-group randomized control trial (RCT) with equal and parallel mixed-methods analysis that allows standardized measures combined with rich qualitative data to test hypotheses and answer research questions. Family caregivers (FCGs) of hospice cancer patients will be recruited and randomized into one of three groups: usual hospice care only (UC), usual care online support group (UCOSG) (without communication strategies), and the CHOOSE intervention group (with communication focus).
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Eligibility Criteria: * Family caregiver of cancer patient receiving hospice care from an affiliated hospice organization. Only 1 FCG per patient may be enrolled. * At least 18 years of age. * Can speak and understand English. * Able to access the internet. * Has a Facebook account or is willing to create a Facebook account in order to be in this study
Interventions
- OtherIntermittent Hospice Team Support
Intermittent hospice team support will be provided per standard of care guidelines.
- OtherOnline Support Group with untrained facilitator
The online support group will be held via private, hidden Facebook. The online support group will be led by an untrained facilitator whose role is to enroll participants and maintain guidelines. Specifically, the untrained facilitator has the following roles: enrolls individuals in the group, monitors the discussion to maintain the guidelines to protect the group's integrity, provides information on resources for technical assistance, and notes any outside online groups to which they belong.
- OtherOnline Support Group with trained facilitator
The online support group will be held via private, hidden Facebook. The online support group led by a trained facilitator focuses on building safe communication and encouraging participant engagement. The trained facilitator has the following roles: enrolls individuals in the group, monitors the discussion to enforce the guidelines and protect the group's integrity, provides technical assistance, moderates group discussions, initiates threads using direct and indirect strategies and communication topic openings, builds a safe environment for communication, encourages participation, and organizes and coordinates Facebook Live activities.
Location
- Washington University School of MedicineSt Louis, Missouri