A Pilot Study of the Effects of COMPLETE: A Communication Plan Early Through End of Life, on End-of-Life Outcomes in Children With Cancer

Title

A Pilot Study of the Effects of COMPLETE: A Communication Plan Early Through End of Life, on End-of-Life Outcomes in Children With Cancer

Creator

Moody KM; Hendricks-Ferguson VL; Baker R; Perkins S; Haase JE

Publisher

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Date

2020

Subject

child; hospice; Child; Humans; cancer; communication; palliative care; Communication; Terminal Care; Prospective Studies; hospice; Death; Pilot Projects; Hospice Care; goals-of-care; Neoplasms/therapy; cancer; palliative care; communication; Child; goals-of-care

Description

Context: Most children with cancer die in hospital settings, without hospice, and many suffer from high-intensity medical interventions and pain at end of life (EOL). Objective(s): To examine the effects of COMPLETE: a communication plan early through EOL to increase hospice enrollment in children with cancer at EOL. Method(s): This is a two-phase, single-arm, two-center, and prospective pilot study of hospice enrollment in children with cancer whose parents received COMPLETE. COMPLETE is a series of medical doctor (MD)/registered nurse (RN)-guided discussions of goals of care using visual aids that begin at diagnosis. COMPLETE training for MD/RNs in Phase II was revised to increase their use of empathy. Preintervention/postintervention measurements for child include: time of hospice enrollment, pain, high-intensity medical interventions at EOL, and location of death; and for parent the following: uncertainty and hope. Result(s): Twenty-one parents of 18 children enrolled in the study, and 13 children were followed through EOL. At EOL, 11 (84.6%) died on home hospice or inpatient hospice, and only two (15%) received high-intensity medical interventions. Similar to published findings in the initial 13 parents enrolled in Phase I, parents in Phase II (n = 7) had improvement in hope and uncertainty, and child pain was decreased. Revised training resulted in significant improvement in MD/RN (N = 6) use of empathy (11% in Phase I vs. 100% in Phase II; P = 0.001). Conclusion(s): COMPLETE resulted in increased hospice enrollment in children with cancer at EOL compared with historical controls. In preanalysis/postanalysis, COMPLETE decreased child pain while supporting hope and reducing uncertainty in their parents. Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation List Month

2021 Special Edition - Oncology

Citation

Moody KM; Hendricks-Ferguson VL; Baker R; Perkins S; Haase JE, “A Pilot Study of the Effects of COMPLETE: A Communication Plan Early Through End of Life, on End-of-Life Outcomes in Children With Cancer,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/18941.