CClinicalTrials.gg
Sign In
CompletedNCT05734781Updated Nov 4, 2024

End-of-life Communication From a Chinese Perspective

An observational study in Terminally Ill, sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Completed at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-11-04.

Sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
66
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to explore experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers. The main question it aims to answer is:

  • What are the experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers? Participants will be invited to either semi-structured in-depth interviews or focus group discussions to share their thoughts.
Read the detailed description

Objectives: To explore stakeholders' (patients, families and healthcare providers) experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in China; and understand culturally appropriate communication strategies.

Design and subjects: This study is a qualitative study. Eligible patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers will be recruited in two hospitals. Purposive sampling methods will be adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with patients and family caregivers will be conducted respectively. Focus group discussions will be arranged with healthcare providers, allowing them to discuss end-of-life communication and generate group interactions and creative thinking.

Data analysis: The data analysis will be an iterative, cyclic and self-reflective process. Using inductive thematic analysis, common themes and categories will be determined through inductive reasoning and constant comparison.

Expected results: The study will fill the gap of no empirical evidence on end-of-life communication strategies from a Chinese perspective and enrich the knowledge about end-of-life communication.

02

Conditions studied

  • Terminally Ill

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Communication
  • Health personnel
  • Terminally ill
  • Adult
03

In context

Death

572 studies on the registry are indexed under Death; 110 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 66 is below the median of 314 across 293 observational studies indexed under Death.

Browse Death studies →

Lead sponsor

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the lead sponsor of 659 studies on the registry; 250 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Terminally ill patients (whose likely life expectancies of fewer than 12 months), families and healthcare providers of such patients

Inclusion criteria

Patients:

  • Be aged older than 18 years
  • Have a defined incurable life-limiting illness with a likely life expectancy of fewer than 12 months (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2021), according to the consultation with the patient's physician
  • Have been informed of disease diagnosis and treatment
  • Be able to speak Mandarin and express clearly
  • Be able to provide informed consent

Family caregivers:

  • Be aged older than 18 years
  • One of the terminally ill patient's primary family caregivers who are familiar with patient's situation, which is defined as lived with or visited patients at least twice a week in the past month
  • Have been informed of patient's disease diagnosis and treatment
  • Be able to speak Mandarin
  • Be able to provide informed consent

Healthcare providers:

  • Be nurses, physicians or other healthcare professionals
  • Be experienced in providing treatment or care to patients with advanced, life-limiting illnesses (whose likely life expectancies of fewer than 12 months) and family caregivers of such patients for at least five years (Koh et al., 2016)
  • Consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients and family caregivers:

  • Severe auditory impairment
  • Cognitive impairment
05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
66 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • 1

    Interviewees: terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers of such patients

    Other: Not Application as this is a qualitative study

Interventions

  • OtherNot Application as this is a qualitative study

    Not Application as this is a qualitative study

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Qualitative data and participants basic information

    Interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted to collect qualitative data

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 12 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Zhejiang Cancer Hospital
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 4, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05734781
Lead sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Responsible party
Dr Joyce Chung (Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 21, 2023
Start date
May 4, 2023
Primary completion
Oct 31, 2023
Completion
Oct 31, 2023
Last update
Nov 4, 2024

Study contacts

Joyce Chung, PhD
principal investigator · The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2024. 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.

Other studies in this condition

Death→

Other studies from this sponsor

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Start the discussion