Facilitating Advance Care Planning Discussions Between Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Family Caregivers Using a Resilience-Building Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Summary

The aims of this study are to (1) assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the ROCKS intervention among patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers through a randomized controlled trial in a cancer center setting; (2) evaluate the preliminary efficacy of ROCKS, as compared to usual care, on changes in completion of advance directives; and (3) explore the dyadic effects of resilience on self-efficacy, optimism, dyadic communication and coping, anxiety, and depression using an actor-partner interdependence model.

Detailed description

Patients with advanced cancer have not fully benefited from advance care planning due to the high levels of anxiety and depression experienced and other barriers that affect their appraisals and coping. Despite the protective effects of resilience, there have been few clinical trials improving the resilience skills of patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers to help initiate advance care planning discussions and sustain engagement. This research evaluates the impact of a web-based resilience-building intervention called ROCKS on enhancing the completion of advance directives, as well as improving resilience, coping, anxiety, and depression among patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers.

Arms & interventions

• BehavioralROCKS

  The intervention will be provided to participants to strengthen optimism, communication skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy to support patients and family caregivers in engaging in advance care planning discussions.

• BehavioralUsual Care

  An advance directive called Five Wishes will be provided to participants to increase their knowledge about advance care planning.

Outcome measures

Eligibility criteria