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NCT05456841Recruiting

Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) Training

Empathic Communication Skills Training to Reduce Lung Cancer Stigma

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 7 Oct 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Research indicates that perceived stigma within medical encounters is prevalent and problematic for lung cancer patients' well-being and quality of cancer care. Promoting empathic communication appears to be a potentially effective intervention target to help reduce patients' perceptions of stigma within clinical encounters; however, no formal trainings exist that focus on teaching empathic communication to oncology care providers (OCPs). Building upon favorable findings from a prior R21 (R21CA202793) and the importance of developing interventions to address lung cancer stigma, our goal is to conduct a national trial of empathic communication skills (ECS) training to facilitate improvements in the medical and psychosocial care of patients through de-stigmatizing interactions with OCPs for patients diagnosed with lung cancer.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1232 (estimated)
First submitted
8 Jul 2022
Start date
28 Apr 2023
Primary completion date
31 Aug 2027
Lead sponsor
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Diseases
Lung cancer
NCT number
NCT05456841

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Planned participants: 1232
  • From 28 Apr 2023 to the primary completion date, 31 Aug 2027
  • 12 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Other

  • Patient Exclusion
  • Individuals of impaired decision-making capacity as per a clinician's judgment or as documented in the EMR.
    • Site and OCP Exclusion
  • None

Who the study is looking for

  • Site Eligibility
  • Employs at least 15 FTE OCPs (i.e., oncologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) as per self report
  • Reports a clinic volume of at least 20 new lung cancer patients per month as per self report
    • OCP Participant Eligibility
  • OCPs who are thoracic oncology physicians (radiologists, medical oncologists, pulmonologists, and surgeons), NPs, or PAs and currently treating lung cancer patients, as per self-report;
  • OCP conducts consultations with lung cancer patients, as per self-report;
  • OCP sees at least 1 lung cancer patient per week, as per self-report;
    • Patient Eligibility
  • Patient under the care of a participating OCP as per self report;
  • English and/or Spanish speaking;
    • In general, which language do you prefer to receive your medical care, English/Spanish/both English and Spanish Equally?
    • If English, treat as fluent in English, no additional language questions
    • If Spanish, treat as fluent in Spanish, no additional language questions
    • If both English and Spanish equally, ask the follow-up questions and go with whichever language is endorsed as best. If endorsed equally, assign to category patient prefers
    • How well do you speak English? Not at all/ Not well/Well/Very well
    • How well do you speak Spanish? Not at all/Not well/Well/Very well
  • Is at least 18 years of age as per self report;
  • Has a history of suspicious lung mass or confirmed lung cancer diagnosis, as per clinician judgment or medical record note;
  • Is a former or current smoking as per self report;
  • Has had no more than 10 prior visits with the participating OCP, as per the medical record and/or self report

Age in the registry: 18 years to 100 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (12)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BuffaloUnited StatesRecruiting
Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
ChesapeakeUnited StatesRecruiting
Hackensack Meridian Health (Data collection only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HackensackUnited StatesRecruiting
Providence St. Joseph Health (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
IrvineUnited StatesCompleted
University of Kentucky (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LexingtonUnited StatesCompleted
Advocate Health Care Network
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LibertyvilleUnited StatesRecruiting
BAPTIST ALLIANCE - MCI (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
MiamiUnited StatesRecruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (All Protocol Activities)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
New YorkUnited StatesRecruiting
Fox Chase Cancer Center (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesRecruiting
Virtua Health (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesCompleted
University of Pennsylvania (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
PhiladelphiaUnited StatesRecruiting
Munson Healthcare (Data Collection Only)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Traverse CityUnited StatesCompleted

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.