Can online training make tough talks easier? new study tests communication skills for clinicians
NCT ID NCT06606470
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a virtual training program called ABCs that teaches healthcare providers how to have better conversations with patients about serious illness. The program includes online modules and live workshops. Researchers will compare providers who receive the training right away to those who get it later, measuring changes in communication skills and confidence. The goal is to help more providers feel prepared to discuss palliative care and other difficult topics.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- virtual communication skills training program
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this program could help more healthcare providers feel confident having difficult conversations about serious illness, potentially improving patient and family experiences.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study measuring provider skills and confidence, not patient outcomes. The training may not change real-world practice or improve care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 350 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: All individuals that work in a health care provision capacity including health care professionals, care coordinators and administrators are eligible to enroll and participate in the ABCs study. Exclusion Criteria: Individuals, including patients, that do not work in a health care provision capacity.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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McMaster University
RECRUITINGHamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5, Canada
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McMaster University
RECRUITINGHamilton, Ontario, Canada
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