An interventional study of Best Practice and Discussion in COVID-19 Infection, Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm and Malignant Solid Neoplasm, sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-20.
Sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
This study investigates patients' perceptions of their doctor's or nurse's empathy during an in-person interaction with the doctor or nurse wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) compared to during a video interaction with the doctor or nurse without PPE. The goal of this research study is to learn whether patients who visit the Acute Cancer Care Center at MD Anderson believe they get better (more empathetic) care from doctors who visit them in person wearing PPE or from doctors who visit them by video call and do not wear PPE.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
I. To determine whether patients perceive their healthcare practitioner as more empathetic during an in-person interaction with the practitioner wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), or during a video interaction without the need for PPE.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To assess whether certain physicians perform better with video whereas others perform better in person.
II. To characterize generational differences in patient perception of healthcare practitioner empathy during an in person interaction with the practitioner wearing PPE, or during a video interaction without the need for PPE.
OUTLINE: After initial visit, patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.
GROUP A (NO PPE): Patients receive standard of care via video call with treating physician.
GROUP B (WEARING PPE): Patients receive standard of care in-person physician visits.
7,640 studies on the registry are indexed under COVID-19; 488 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 107 is close to the median of 100 across 4,099 interventional studies indexed under COVID-19.
Browse COVID-19 studies →M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 2,999 studies on the registry; 581 are open to participants now.
Of its 599 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 402 (67%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients receive standard of care via video call with treating physician.
Procedure: Discussion · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Patients receive standard of care in-person physician visits.
Other: Best Practice · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Physician conversations occur in-person
Also known as: standard of care, standard therapy
Physician conversations occur via video call
Also known as: Discuss
Ancillary studies
Patients' perceptions of healthcare provider empathy
Univariate linear regression analysis will be used to determine the association between the approach (in-person interaction/with personal protective equipment \[PPE\] versus video interaction/without PPE) and the composite scores or scores for each question (for each of the two tools \[the CARE Measure and the linear empathy tool\]).
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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M.D. Anderson Cancer Center