An interventional study of DINKNESH App and Paper based tool in Palliative Care, sponsored by Addis Ababa University. Completed at 1 site in Ethiopia. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.
Sponsored by Addis Ababa University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a digital health app called DINKNESH is effective for palliative care identification compared to traditional paper-based assessment tools. It will also look at the factors that help or hinder the use of this app in primary care settings.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the DINKNESH app improve palliative care assessments compared to paper forms?
What are the main barriers and facilitators for Health Extension Workers when using the app in their daily work?
We will compare the DINKNESH app to standard paper-based tools to see if digital tools improve clinical assessment and implementation.
Participants will:
Be assessed for palliative care needs using either the DINKNESH mobile app or standard paper forms.
Receive routine follow-up care as determined by their health provider.
(For health workers): Participate in interviews or surveys to discuss their experience using the assigned assessment tool.
Addis Ababa University is the lead sponsor of 19 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
For patients(Quantitative Part):
For healthcare workers:
Exclusion Criteria
For patients
For healthcare workers:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Healthcare workers (Family Health Teams) in these clusters will utilize the DINKNESH mobile application during routine home-based visits to systematically identify and assess patients requiring palliative care. The app integrates validated tools (SPICT, ECOG, IPOS) and provides clinical decision support for symptom management, counseling, and referral protocols
Other: DINKNESH App
Family Health Teams in these clusters will provide home-based chronic care services following standard paper based without the use of the digital application.
Other: Paper based tool
A mobile-based digital health application designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. The application digitizes validated clinical tools, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) along with reference materials
A paper-based clinical assessment protocol designed to support Family Health Teams in the systematic identification and assessment of patients with palliative care needs. It incorporates the same validated clinical tools used in the intervention arm, including the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS), administered manually during routine home visits without the use of a digital application and reference material.
Rate of identification of patients with palliative care needs.
The primary outcome is the rate of palliative care identifications, calculated as the number of individuals identified as requiring palliative care divided by the total number of chronic patient visit conducted by the Family Health Teams during the study period.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Qualitative assessment of implementation barriers and enablers.
Evaluation of implementation determinants (barriers and facilitators) through focus group discussions with health extension workers
Time frame: 6 weeks
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Ran from Apr 2026 to primary completion in May 2026, 1 month.
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This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Addis Ababa University