Evaluating the Impact of an Integrative Oncology Training Program for Healthcare Providers

NCT ID: NCT06598020

Last Updated: 2024-09-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 130 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-10-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-03-30

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn about the short- and long-term effects of two medical education approaches to teaching integrative oncology (IO) in a multi-disciplinary group of healthcare providers attending a national IO training. The main question it aims to answer is: Does active medical education approach focusing on IO-related skills is associated with better training outcomes compared to clerkship-based observation of IO clinics? Participants (trainees) will answer online survey questions about their knowledge, attitudes, and clinical proficiencies along the training process.

Detailed Description

The study is conducted within a multi-centered, prospective, controlled and randomized format, using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. Participants eligible for study inclusion are healthcare providers (HCPs, nurses, physicians, para-medical, or complementary medicine practitioners), age ≥ 18 years enrolling in a structured IO training program. Trainees are randomly allocated to either the Enhanced IO Training arm (Group A) or Standard IO Training arm of the study (Group B). Participants in both study arms undergo 110-hour online section of the IO training course, followed by 170-hour practical training.

Those in the Enhanced IO Training arm undergo practical training, based on the five-item competency curriculum adapted from the list of knowledge, skills, and ability-related competencies recommended by the Society for Integrative Oncology. The five-item competency-based curriculum include the following two clinical implementation competencies:

• Anxiety relief using a mind-body modality (e.g., breathing, relaxation, guided imagery)
• Improving pain with touch modalities (e.g., acupressure, acupuncture, reflexology), including use of acupressure points with established effectiveness in the reduction of cancer pain Participants in the Standard IO training group (Group B) will observe from the side during the IO practitioner-patient interaction.

The practical section of the training program will include two mentoring days, the first scheduled at the beginning of the 110-hour theory-based IO training, the second at the conclusion of this training. Participants in both study groups will be exposed during the two mentoring days to between 3-5 clinical IO therapeutic interactions with patients admitted to the oncology center.

Conditions

Integrative Oncology; Medical Education; Palliative Care

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Enhanced competency curriculum-based training

Trainees allocated to this arm undergo practical training, based on the five-item competency curriculum adapted from the list of knowledge, skills, and ability-related competencies recommended by the Society for Integrative Oncology.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Supportive Care

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Competency-based training purposed to alleviate anxiety relief using a mind-body modality and improve pain with touch modalities (e.g., acupressure)

Standard training arm

Trainees in this arm will observe from the side practitioner-patient interaction in integrative oncology setting of care

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Supportive Care

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Competency-based training purposed to alleviate anxiety relief using a mind-body modality and improve pain with touch modalities (e.g., acupressure)

Interventions

Supportive Care

Competency-based training purposed to alleviate anxiety relief using a mind-body modality and improve pain with touch modalities (e.g., acupressure)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthcare providers (nurses, physicians, para-medical, or complementary medicine practitioners) who have applied to and been accepted for the integrative oncology training program

Exclusion Criteria

• Healthcare providers who were not received a letter of support from the medical administrator stating commitment to allocate at least 5 hours weekly post-training to enable the trainee practicing integrative oncology care in the medical center.

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Advot Fund of Reality Group

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Israel Cancer Association

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Carmel Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Eran Ben-Arye

Director, Integrative Oncology Program, Lin Medical Center

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Eran Ben-Arye, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Carmel Medical Center

Locations

Lin Medical Center

Haifa, , Israel

Countries

Israel

References

Witt CM, Balneaves LG, Carlson LE, Cohen M, Deng G, Fouladbakhsh JM, Kinney AY, Mehta A, Mailman J, Pole L, Rogge AA, O'Toole C, Zick SM, Helmer SM. Education Competencies for Integrative Oncology-Results of a Systematic Review and an International and Interprofessional Consensus Procedure. J Cancer Educ. 2022 Jun;37(3):499-507. doi: 10.1007/s13187-020-01829-8.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 32783117 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

TEC-050623

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id