Improving Processes of Cancer Care Delivery at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

March 5, 2026 updated by: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Mapping the Processes of Cancer Care Delivery at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

This study examines how cancer care is delivered in oncology and supportive care clinics. Collecting patient feedback may help doctors better understand the processes of cancer care in oncology and supportive care clinics.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare the total amount of follow-up clinic time spent on discussing supportive/palliative care issues between primary palliative care provided by the oncology team and specialist palliative care.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare between the specialist palliative care team and the oncology team the following aspects of supportive/palliative care delivery: Ia. The number of supportive/palliative care needs the patient reported before the clinic visit (SPARC).

Ib. The number of supportive/palliative care needs the patient wanted to discuss with the clinical team before the clinic visit (SPARC).

Ic. The number of supportive/palliative care needs that were actually raised by the patient during the clinic visit (audiotape).

Id. The number of supportive/palliative care needs that were actually discussed by the clinical team during clinic visit (audiotape).

Ie. The number of supportive/palliative care needs that were documented in progress note by the clinical team after each visit (electronic health record).

If. The number of supportive/palliative care needs that the patient reported had been adequate addressed after the clinic visit (SPARC).

II. To compare the amount of clinic time (both absolute and proportion) spent on discussing supportive/palliative care issues by individual disciplines (e.g. medical doctor, registered nurse, counselor, pharmacist, psychologist, social worker, and priest) between the specialist palliative care team and the oncology team.

III. To examine the nature of topics discussed by the specialist palliative care team and the oncology team and compare the amount of clinic time (both absolute and proportion) spent on each supportive/palliative care issue.

IV. To compare the number of empathic statements between the specialist palliative care team and the oncology team.

V. To compare the processes of supportive/palliative care delivery between patients seeing the oncology team without specialist palliative care (Cohort A) and patients seeing the oncology team when specialist palliative care team is involved (Cohort B).

OUTLINE:

Patients complete questionnaires over 15-20 minutes and undergo audio recording of clinic conversations between the oncology team or the specialist palliative care team. Patients' medical records are also reviewed.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • M D Anderson Cancer Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • David Hui, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients within 6 months of diagnosis of metastatic (or stage IV) solid malignancies

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Within 6 months of diagnosis of metastatic (or stage IV) solid malignancies
  • Age 18 or greater
  • English speaking
  • Follow-up clinic visit (Supportive Care and Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinics at MD Anderson Cancer Center)
  • Medical oncologist listed as the attending physician
  • COHORT A (Oncology team only cohort): Patients should not have been referred to palliative care services at MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • COHORT B (Oncology team and specialist palliative care cohort): Patients should have an upcoming specialist palliative care follow-up visit within 1 week of a medical oncology visit

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Delirium (Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale [MDAS] >= 13/30)
  • Significant hearing impairment requiring multiple repetitions during the screening process (that may prolong clinic time)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Supportive Care (questionnaire, clinic conversation)
Patients complete questionnaires over 15-20 minutes and undergo audio recording of clinic conversations between the oncology team or the specialist palliative care team. Patients' medical records are also reviewed.
Other: Questionnaire Administration
Complete questionnaires
Other: Electronic Health Record Review
Review of medical records
Procedure: Discussion
Undergo audio recording of clinic conversations
Other Names:
  • Discuss

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Minutes spent in discussion
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Will be examined using linear mixed models (LMMs) with physician as the unit of analysis.
through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: David Hui, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 12, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 25, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

October 27, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2020-0246 (Other Identifier: M D Anderson Cancer Center)
  • NCI-2021-10266 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Metastatic Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Clinical Trials on Questionnaire Administration

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Uganda

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe