CClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT01447771Updated Apr 9, 2014

Decision Support for Women With Breast Cancer

An interventional study of Decision control preference scale in Breast Neoplasms, sponsored by Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2014-04-09.

Sponsored by Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Why this study was terminated
Lack of funds to continue and volunteer recruitment member left position
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
14
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

Breast cancer is a common malignancy among women in the United States. There are a variety of treatment decisions that need to be made. This study has been developed after a review of the literature demonstrated that women with breast cancer are making decisions regarding complex therapy issues in a way that is not congruent with their decision-making control preference.

Some patients want to be empowered with information so that they can actively participate in the decision making about their care; others want to rely on the recommendations made by the oncologist. This is important because patients who were not satisfied with their adjuvant treatment decision noted a negative effect on quality of life and self image. These patients had more difficulties with treatment side effects; including aches, hot flashes, pain, and mood alteration. In additions the Institute of Medicine recommended that patient centeredness be a key aim of health care organizations and that all patients be given the opportunity to exercise the degree of control they choose over health care decisions that affect them.

It is hypothesized that women making decisions regarding adjuvant therapy who are supported to make decisions based on their preferred level of control will have positive psychological outcomes.

Read the detailed description

This evidence based study has been developed after a review of the literature demonstrated that 14 - 58% of women with breast cancer are making decisions regarding complex therapy issues in a way that is not congruent with their decision-making control preference. Because of the prevalence of decision-making control preference incongruence and strong evidence that providing support for a woman's decision making control preference is related to quality of life measures, this study will test the implementation of a nursing intervention to support the decision making of women with breast cancer. Using sample randomization with assignment to one of two groups, this study will explore whether using Degner's Control Preference (DCP) Scale supports decision making control preferences in women who are making decisions about breast cancer treatment. Results of the study will guide implementation of sustainable evidence-based behavioral practices that can have significant effects on quality of care outcomes.

This study will assess satisfaction with decision involvement, depression, and decision making distress in women with early stage breast cancer after a decision support intervention to support a woman's preferred decision control preference. It is hypothesized that a decision support intervention that consists of providing information from the Degner Control Preference (DCP) Scale to the provider and patient will have a positive effect on psychological outcomes (decision satisfaction, decision making distress, and depression) in women making decisions about breast cancer treatment. Testing the effect of the decision support intervention on decision satisfaction, decision making distress and depression will be measured using t-Tests.

Patients with early stage breast cancer who are scheduled to have a medical oncology consultation, to decide an adjuvant therapy regimen, will be asked to participate.

128 patients will be randomly assigned to a group in which the patient and their oncologist would know the patient's preferred level of decision making control (intervention group) or a group that would receive information about a balanced diet (attention control group). Two nurses on the research team will consent participants, participate in the intervention, and collect data through interviews. Post intervention interviews will occur within 24 hours of the intervention and 4 weeks later.

02

Conditions studied

  • Breast Neoplasms

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Decision making
  • Decisional aide
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

12,543 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 2,892 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 14 is below the median of 72 across 9,302 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins is the lead sponsor of 572 studies on the registry; 73 are open to participants now.

Of its 111 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 67 (60%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Women with early stage (Stage I and Stage II) breast cancer that are considering adjuvant therapy and are being evaluated at the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center.
  2. Age 18 years and older.
  3. Able to read and speak English.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe visual impairments that would make it difficult to read study instruments or inability to read.
  2. Lack of capacity to provide informed consent to participate in the study.
  3. Patients being seen for a second opinion.
  4. Patients with a history of previous neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
  5. Women who are pregnant.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
14 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Lifestyle counseling

    Decision control preference intervention

    Behavioral: Decision control preference scale

Interventions

  • BehavioralDecision control preference scale

    At time 1, participants in the intervention group will be asked to complete the Decision Control Preference Scale.The range of decision control is measured by the Decision Control Preference (DCP) Scale. The scale is used to measure the preferred or actual role in decision making using five response statements: two represent an active or patient-controlled role, one a shared or collaborative role, and two represent a passive or provider-controlled role. The preferred level of decision making control will be known by the participant in the intervention group and the information given to the oncologist prior to the consultation regarding adjuvant therapy

    Also known as: DCP scale

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Satisfaction with Decision at 24 hours

    Satisfaction with Decision (SWD) scale: A 6 item tool with a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1, "strongly disagree" to 5, "strongly agree", will be used to evaluate the patient's satisfaction with decision involvement by phone within 24 hours following the consultation and repeated 4 weeks later. This instrument is based on the Satisfaction with Decision Instrument of Holmes-Rovner. The SWD scale performed reliability, Cronbach's alpha = 0.86

    Time frame: 24 hours after consultation

  2. Satisfaction with Decision at 4 weeks

    Satisfaction with Decision (SWD) scale: A 6 item tool with a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1, "strongly disagree" to 5, "strongly agree", will be used to evaluate the patient's satisfaction with decision involvement by phone within 24 hours following the consultation and repeated 4 weeks later. This instrument is based on the Satisfaction with Decision Instrument of Holmes-Rovner. The SWD scale performed reliability, Cronbach's alpha = 0.86

    Time frame: 4 weeks after consultation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Baseline Depression Score

    This scale will be used to measure depressive symptoms. The CSES-D 10 is a 10-item brief version of a self-report questionnaire developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies at the National Institute of Mental Health for use in studies of depression in community samples. The CSES-D 10 version has been used across multiple populations. It has been shown to have test-retest reliability of 0.80 in patients with GI cancer.

    Time frame: Baseline before consultation

  2. Baseline Impact of Event Score

    A 15-item Likert scale ranging from total scores of 0 to 75 with levels of: 9-25 indicative of moderate adaptation difficulties and \> 26 is considered indicative of clinical adaptation difficulties. Intrusion (the extent to which individuals are overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings of breast cancer, 7 items) and avoidance (the tendency to avoid thoughts and feelings about breast cancer, 8 items) are subscales. In this study, it will be used to measure patient distress in participating in health care decision making. The Cronbach's alpha for patients with GI cancer was 0.86.

    Time frame: Baseline, before consultation

  3. Depression Score at 4 weeks

    This scale will be used to measure depressive symptoms. The CSES-D 10 is a 10-item brief version of a self-report questionnaire developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies at the National Institute of Mental Health for use in studies of depression in community samples. The CSES-D 10 version has been used across multiple populations. It has been shown to have test-retest reliability of 0.80 in patients with GI cancer.

    Time frame: 4 weeks after consultation

  4. Impact of Event score at 24 hours

    A 15-item Likert scale ranging from total scores of 0 to 75 with levels of: 9-25 indicative of moderate adaptation difficulties and \> 26 is considered indicative of clinical adaptation difficulties. Intrusion (the extent to which individuals are overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings of breast cancer, 7 items) and avoidance (the tendency to avoid thoughts and feelings about breast cancer, 8 items) are subscales. In this study, it will be used to measure patient distress in participating in health care decision making. The Cronbach's alpha for patients with GI cancer was 0.86.

    Time frame: 24 hours after consultation

  5. Impact of Event Score at 4 weeks

    A 15-item Likert scale ranging from total scores of 0 to 75 with levels of: 9-25 indicative of moderate adaptation difficulties and \> 26 is considered indicative of clinical adaptation difficulties. Intrusion (the extent to which individuals are overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings of breast cancer, 7 items) and avoidance (the tendency to avoid thoughts and feelings about breast cancer, 8 items) are subscales. In this study, it will be used to measure patient distress in participating in health care decision making. The Cronbach's alpha for patients with GI cancer was 0.86.

    Time frame: 4 weeks after consultation

  6. Congruence between preferred and actual decision making control at 24 hours

    This is a yes/no answer to determine congruence between actual and preferred level of decision making control. Descriptive analysis of the results will be preformed

    Time frame: 24 hours after consultation

  7. Congruence between preferred and actual decision making control at 4 weeks

    This is a yes/no answer to determine congruence between actual and preferred level of decision making control. Descriptive analysis of the results will be preformed

    Time frame: 4 weeks after consultation

  8. Baseline Impact of Event Score

    A 15-item Likert scale ranging from total scores of 0 to 75 with levels of: 9-25 indicative of moderate adaptation difficulties and \> 26 is considered indicative of clinical adaptation difficulties. Intrusion (the extent to which individuals are overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings of breast cancer, 7 items) and avoidance (the tendency to avoid thoughts and feelings about breast cancer, 8 items) are subscales. In this study, it will be used to measure patient distress in participating in health care decision making. The Cronbach's alpha for patients with GI cancer was 0.86.

    Time frame: Before consultation

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital
    Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Degner LF, Kristjanson LJ, Bowman D, Sloan JA, Carriere KC, O'Neil J, Bilodeau B, Watson P, Mueller B. Information needs and decisional preferences in women with breast cancer. JAMA. 1997 May 14;277(18):1485-92. PubMed 9145723 ↗
  • Degner LF, Sloan JA, Venkatesh P. The Control Preferences Scale. Can J Nurs Res. 1997 Fall;29(3):21-43. PubMed 9505581 ↗
  • Holmes-Rovner M, Kroll J, Schmitt N, Rovner DR, Breer ML, Rothert ML, Padonu G, Talarczyk G. Patient satisfaction with health care decisions: the satisfaction with decision scale. Med Decis Making. 1996 Jan-Mar;16(1):58-64. doi: 10.1177/0272989X9601600114. PubMed 8717600 ↗
  • Lo SS, Mumby PB, Norton J, Rychlik K, Smerage J, Kash J, Chew HK, Gaynor ER, Hayes DF, Epstein A, Albain KS. Prospective multicenter study of the impact of the 21-gene recurrence score assay on medical oncologist and patient adjuvant breast cancer treatment selection. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Apr 1;28(10):1671-6. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.20.2119. Epub 2010 Jan 11. PubMed 20065191 ↗
  • Hack TF, Degner LF, Watson P, Sinha L. Do patients benefit from participating in medical decision making? Longitudinal follow-up of women with breast cancer. Psychooncology. 2006 Jan;15(1):9-19. doi: 10.1002/pon.907. PubMed 15669023 ↗
  • Shaha M, Cox CL, Talman K, Kelly D. Uncertainty in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer: implications for supportive care. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2008;40(1):60-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.2007.00207.x. PubMed 18302593 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 9, 2014, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01447771
Lead sponsor
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 6, 2011
Start date
Sep 2011
Primary completion
Mar 2012
Completion
Mar 2012
Last update
Apr 9, 2014

Study contacts

Sharon Olsen, PhD
principal investigator · Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in Apr 2014. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion