CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07113899Updated Aug 11, 2025

HOPE AND ACCEPTANCE AT THE END OF LIFE - IMPACT OF SPIRITUALITY ON PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS

An interventional study of Approach to spirituality through hope and acceptance in Hope, Acceptance and Spirituality, sponsored by Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, EPE. Completed at 1 site in Portugal. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-11.

Sponsored by Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, EPE · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to evaluate the hope and acceptance among patients visited by the Equipa Comunitária de Suporte em Cuidados Paliativos do Baixo Mondego. This study is a prospective longitudinal research study. The sample consisted of two groups: the Intervention Group, which included patients from the network of the Equipa Comunitária de Suporte em Cuidados Paliativos do Baixo Mondego (ECSCP-BM), and the Control Group, with selected patients from Unidade de Saúde Familiar Nautilus e Unidade de Saúde Familiar Coimbra Centro, with serious illness, comorbidities, and a poor prognosis. The patients chosen from ECSCP-BM were made up only of new patients referred to the team without any prior home consultations. The first questionnaire application took place during the first visit, and the second one was administered fourteen days later. The Primary Health Care patients were selected by invitation, and the questionnaire was administered. It included sociodemographic data, clinical data, the Herth Hope Index - PT and open questions.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hope
  • Acceptance
  • Spirituality

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Keywords

  • hope
  • acceptance
  • spirituality
  • end of life
  • palliative care
03

Who can participate

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

Inclusion criteria

  • new referrals made by the family doctor to the community palliative care support team (which integrated the patient into the palliative care team network for the first time) - for the intervention group
  • patients registered at the Nautilus Family Health Unit or Coimbra Centro Family Health Unit with serious pathology, comorbidities and reserved prognosis - for the control group

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • age under 18
  • pregnancy
  • altered state of consciousness or dementia
  • low level of education
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
20 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    ECSCP

    Patients visited at home by the community palliative care support team

    Other: Approach to spirituality through hope and acceptance

  • No intervention
    CSP

    Patients with follow-up consultations by primary health care

Interventions

  • OtherApproach to spirituality through hope and acceptance

    This study is a prospective longitudinal research study. The sample consisted of two groups: the Intervention Group, which included patients from the community palliative care support team (ECSCP-BM), and the Control Group, with primary health care selected patients from the family health units Nautilus and Coimbra Centro (CSP), with serious illness, comorbidities, and a poor prognosis. The patients chosen from ECSCP-BM were made up only of new patients referred to the team without any prior home consultations. The first questionnaire application took place during the first visit, and the second one was administered fourteen days later. The Primary Health Care patients were selected by invitation, and the questionnaire was administered. It included sociodemographic data, clinical data, the Herth Hope Index and open questions. During the palliative care team's home visit, spirituality was addressed in in the clinical history through the assessment of hope and acceptance.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Hope

    Participants answered questions on the Hope Scale. There were 9 questions with 4 possible answers. Each answer was scored from 1 to 4. The maximum score on the scale was 36.

    Time frame: 5 months

  2. Acceptance

    Participants answered three open-ended questions to assess their acceptance. These questions were asked to the control group and at the first assessment of the intervention group. At the second assessment of the intervention group, after 14 days, a fourth question was also asked, assessing the team's intervention during those 14 days.

    Time frame: 5 months

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Lutenio Soares Faria Junior
    Coimbra, Coimbra District 3000-317, Portugal
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07113899
Lead sponsor
Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, EPE
Responsible party
Lutenio Junior (Principal Investigator, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, EPE) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 11, 2025
Start date
Jan 1, 2025
Primary completion
May 31, 2025
Completion
May 31, 2025
Last update
Aug 11, 2025

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
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