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Primary Palliative Care - a Feasibility Cluster Trial (PrimPal)

31 juli 2026 uppdaterad av: Carlos Seiça Cardoso, University of Coimbra
This feasibility cluster-controlled randomized trial (RCT) evaluates a complex intervention for the delivery of primary palliative care in Family Health Units (FHUs). The intervention consists of training General Practitioners (GPs) in palliative care through a 30 hour e-learning program and implementing a structured consultation model (4 consultations over 12 weeks) for adult patients with advanced chronic illness. One FHU will receive the intervention and one FHU will follow usual care. The primary goal is to assess feasibility metrics (GP adherence, patient recruitment rate, and patient retention rate), which will inform the design of a subsequent full-scale cluster RCT.

Studieöversikt

Status

Har inte rekryterat ännu

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Detaljerad beskrivning

Background: Demographic ageing and the rising burden of chronic disease have dramatically increased the need for palliative care. Most patients with palliative care needs are cared for in primary health care (PHC) settings, yet GPs often lack training and systematic tools to identify and manage these patients. The Principal Investigator developed a complex intervention combining GP training and a new consultation model during doctoral research, demonstrating promising results (reduction in physical and psychological symptoms) in a before-after study (published in Palliative Medicine, DOI: 10.1177/02692163231219682). The present feasibility trial is the next methodological step before undertaking a full-scale cluster RCT.

Design: Feasibility cluster-controlled RCT with an embedded qualitative component (mixed-methods). Randomisation occurs at the cluster (FHU) level. Two FHUs from ULS Coimbra (central Portugal) will be recruited: one allocated to the intervention arm and one to the control (usual care) arm.

Intervention: GPs in the intervention FHU will complete a 30hour e-learning training programme covering palliative care communication, symptom management, and patient assessment/control. After training, each GP will apply the new structured consultation model to recruited patients over 12 weeks (4 consultations). The model is grounded in the 4th edition of the National Consensus Project's Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care and WONCA's core competencies for GPs in palliative care.

Control: GPs in the control FHU will follow usual care without any specific palliative care training or structured consultation model.

Participants: Adult patients (≥18 years) on the list of recruited GPs with a diagnosis of: advanced-stage neoplasm (metastatic cancer), COPD GOLD III/IV, Congestive Heart Failure NYHA III/IV, or Chronic Kidney Disease stage IV/V.

Feasibility outcomes: GP implementation rate (primary), patient recruitment rate, and patient retention rate will be assessed at baseline (T0), week 6 (T1), and week 12 (T2). Qualitative data will be collected through interviews with GPs and patients to explore perceived barriers and benefits of the intervention.

Significance: Results will be used to refine the intervention and study procedures, and to power a future definitive cluster RCT.

Studietyp

Interventionell

Inskrivning (Beräknad)

30

Fas

  • Inte tillämpbar

Kontakter och platser

Det här avsnittet innehåller kontaktuppgifter för dem som genomför studien och information om var denna studie genomförs.

Studiekontakt

Studieorter

  • Portugal
      • Coimbra, Portugal
        • Family Health Unit 1 - ULS Coimbra (Intervention)
      • Coimbra, Portugal
        • Family Health Unit 2 - ULS Coimbra (Control)

Deltagandekriterier

Forskare letar efter personer som passar en viss beskrivning, så kallade behörighetskriterier. Några exempel på dessa kriterier är en persons allmänna hälsotillstånd eller tidigare behandlingar.

Urvalskriterier

Åldrar som är berättigade till studier

  • Vuxen
  • Äldre vuxen

Tar emot friska volontärer

Nej

Beskrivning

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older.
  • Enrolled as a patient on the list of a recruited General Practitioner in one of the participating Family Health Units.
  • Diagnosed with one or more of the following advanced chronic conditions:
  • Advanced-stage neoplasm (metastatic/stage IV cancer);
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - GOLD classification III or IV;
  • Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) - New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification III or IV;
  • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) - stage IV or V.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to provide informed consent or to participate in the study at any point.
  • Disease severity requiring urgent medical intervention (acute crisis/emergency care need at time of recruitment).

Studieplan

Det här avsnittet ger detaljer om studieplanen, inklusive hur studien är utformad och vad studien mäter.

Hur är studien utformad?

Designdetaljer

  • Primärt syfte: Övrig
  • Tilldelning: Randomiserad
  • Interventionsmodell: Parallellt uppdrag
  • Maskning: Enda

Vapen och interventioner

Deltagargrupp / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Inget ingripande: Control (Usual Care)
GPs in the control FHU deliver usual palliative care without specific training or structured consultation model.
Experimentell: Primary Palliative Care Consultation
General Practitioners in the intervention FHU complete a 30hour e-learning training programme in palliative care and apply a new structured consultation model over 12 weeks (4 consultations) with recruited patients.
Övrig: Primary Palliative Care Complex Intervention (PrimPal)
  1. GPs will receive an e-learning palliative care training programme with a 30-h load, including topics such as the role of communication, the main problems and symptoms of patients with palliative care needs and how to assess and control them. Additionally, the programme covered how to apply the newly developed medical consultation model and how to use the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS) patient version
  2. Primary palliative care consultation model divided into five areas (1) summarizing clinical information, (2) objective symptoms' management, (3) assessment and coding of chronic diseases and symptoms, (4) planning clinical approach and (5) addressing other problems/concerns - 4 consultations over 12 weeks.

Vad mäter studien?

Primära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
GP Feasibility Rate (Implementation Rate)
Tidsram: 12 weeks (from start of intervention to end of consultation cycle - Week 12 / T2)
Percentage of GPs in the intervention arm who successfully implement the new consultation model with their recruited patients (excluding failures due to reasons unrelated to the physician, e.g., patient death or withdrawal). Feasibility is considered demonstrated if ≥70% of GPs complete the model with at least 80% of their recruited patients.
12 weeks (from start of intervention to end of consultation cycle - Week 12 / T2)

Sekundära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Patient Recruitment Rate
Tidsram: Baseline (T0) - during recruitment period
Percentage of contacted eligible patients who agree to participate in the study.
Baseline (T0) - during recruitment period
Patient Retention Rate
Tidsram: Week 12 (T2)
Percentage of enrolled patients who complete all 4 consultations and remain in the study until week 12.
Week 12 (T2)
Perceived Barriers to Implementation
Tidsram: Week 12 (T2) - end of intervention
Qualitative exploration of obstacles experienced by GPs and patients in the implementation of the intervention, assessed via semi-structured interviews
Week 12 (T2) - end of intervention
Perceived Benefits of the Intervention
Tidsram: Week 12 (T2) - end of intervention
Qualitative exploration of the benefits perceived by GPs and patients from the intervention, assessed via semi-structured interviews.
Week 12 (T2) - end of intervention

Samarbetspartners och utredare

Det är här du hittar personer och organisationer som är involverade i denna studie.

Sponsor

University of Coimbra

Samarbetspartners

Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, EPE

Publikationer och användbara länkar

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Allmänna publikationer

Studieavstämningsdatum

Dessa datum spårar framstegen för inlämningar av studieposter och sammanfattande resultat till ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter och rapporterade resultat granskas av National Library of Medicine (NLM) för att säkerställa att de uppfyller specifika kvalitetskontrollstandarder innan de publiceras på den offentliga webbplatsen.

Studera stora datum

Studiestart (Beräknad)

1 oktober 2026

Primärt slutförande (Beräknad)

28 februari 2027

Avslutad studie (Beräknad)

31 augusti 2027

Studieregistreringsdatum

Först inskickad

27 juli 2026

Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

27 juli 2026

Första postat (Faktisk)

30 juli 2026

Uppdateringar av studier

Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)

3 augusti 2026

Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

31 juli 2026

Senast verifierad

1 juli 2026

Mer information

Termer relaterade till denna studie

Nyckelord

Ytterligare relevanta MeSH-villkor

Andra studie-ID-nummer

  • IN1590 | PrimPal Trial
  • 2024.18252.PEX (Annat bidrag/finansieringsnummer: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT))

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