New online tool aims to ease tough End-of-Life talks for cancer patients
NCT ID NCT06061965
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a website designed to help people with advanced cancer and their family caregivers talk about advance care planning. Researchers worked with 36 patient-caregiver pairs to see if the website was easy to use and helpful. The main goal was to gather feedback to improve the website, not to measure health outcomes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Web-based resilience-building intervention
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a practical online tool that makes it easier for cancer patients and their families to have important conversations about future medical care.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small, early-stage usability study with only 36 participants. It focused on refining the website design, not on measuring health outcomes, so it's unclear if the tool actually improves care planning.
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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36 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Finished
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May 2025
- 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 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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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: * Patients will be eligible for the study if they (1) are ≥ 18 years of age; (2) have a cancer diagnosis; (3) are able to read and respond to questions in English with minimal assistance from family caregivers for interpretation; (4) have previously completed an advance directive such as a living will; (5) have a family caregiver who serves as a surrogate in the advance directive and is willing to participate in the study; and (6) have access to the internet on a cell phone, laptop, or computer. * Family caregivers will be eligible if they (1) are ≥ 18 years of age; (2) are able to read and respond to questions in English with minimal assistance from others for interpretation; (3) are identified by the patient as a family caregiver who serves as a surrogate for health care decisions; and (4) have access to the internet on a cell phone, laptop, or computer. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have cognitive impairment per a Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire score \< 8.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60607, United States
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