DOMUS: A Trial of Accelerated Transition From Oncological Treatment to Continuing Palliative Care at Home

Danish studies have shown that the majority of palliative cancer patients wish to be cared for and spend the rest of their lives at home. Nevertheless \> 50% of palliative cancer patients die in acute hospitals and these figures are found in countries with a highly developed palliative care service as well. Some studies have suggested that, among other causes, delays in the discharge process represent a significant obstacle for achieving care and treatment, and ultimately death at home. Therefore, this randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims at investigating an accelerated transition program from oncological treatment to continuous specialized palliative care at home for patients with incurable cancer. The primary objective of the study is to investigate whether an accelerated transition from oncology care to palliative home care significantly increases home care and death. The secondary objectives are to investigate whether the intervention improves symptom control and quality of life, increases survival, affects health care expenses, improves caregiver quality of life and burden, dyadic coping and grief outcomes. The study will take place in the departments of oncology at Rigshospitalet, where palliative cancer patients will enter the intervention or usual care arms. The intervention is an accelerated transition program, which consists of planning palliative home care and if needed optimization of facilities at home, and a transfer to home care within 5 days of informed consent. On day 1 at home the patient, informal caregiver, nurse, representatives of the specialized palliative care team and if possible the general practitioner and project psychologist meet to organize home care. A dyadic psychological intervention is offered to patients and their informal caregiver during specialized palliative care at home and to bereaved caregivers. The control group will be treated according to the usual principles, but if inadequate palliative care is observed in this group, the study group is obliged to involve responsible professionals. Both groups will be followed by assessments of the patient and the caregiver for up to 6 months and the caregivers 19 month after the patient's death.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adult (at least 18 year old) cancer patients connected to the Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital
* Patients who want to spend as much time as possible in their own homes supported by an SPT
* Patients with incurable cancer
* Patients with no or limited antineoplastic treatment options or patients who resign antineoplastic treatment
* Patients living in the Capital Region
* Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have already been referred to an SPT
* Hospitalized patients who are not judged capable of being discharged home
* Patients who are admitted to other hospitals
* Patients who do not speak Danish well enough to answer the questionnaires
* Patients who are considered incapable of cooperating in the trial

• DERIVEDHalling CMB, Wolf RT, Sjogren P, Von Der Maase H, Timm H, Johansen C, Kjellberg J. Cost-effectiveness analysis of systematic fast-track transition from oncological treatment to specialised palliative care at home for patients and their caregivers: the DOMUS trial. BMC Palliat Care. 2020 Sep 15;19(1):142. doi: 10.1186/s12904-020-00645-7. PMID 32933489
• DERIVEDBenthien K, Diasso P, von Heymann A, Nordly M, Kurita G, Timm H, Johansen C, Kjellberg J, von der Maase H, Sjogren P. Oncology to specialised palliative home care systematic transition: the Domus randomised trial. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2020 Sep;10(3):350-357. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002325. Epub 2020 Jul 17. PMID 32680894
• DERIVEDvon Heymann-Horan A, Bidstrup P, Guldin MB, Sjogren P, Andersen EAW, von der Maase H, Kjellberg J, Timm H, Johansen C. Effect of home-based specialised palliative care and dyadic psychological intervention on caregiver anxiety and depression: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Cancer. 2018 Nov;119(11):1307-1315. doi: 10.1038/s41416-018-0193-8. Epub 2018 Nov 14. PMID 30425351
• DERIVEDNordly M, Skov Benthien K, Vadstrup ES, Kurita GP, von Heymann-Horan AB, von der Maase H, Johansen C, Timm H, Kjellberg J, Sjogren P. Systematic fast-track transition from oncological treatment to dyadic specialized palliative home care: DOMUS - a randomized clinical trial. Palliat Med. 2019 Feb;33(2):135-149. doi: 10.1177/0269216318811269. Epub 2018 Nov 12. No abstract available. PMID 30415608
• DERIVEDvon Heymann-Horan A, Bidstrup PE, Johansen C, Rottmann N, Andersen EAW, Sjogren P, von der Maase H, Timm H, Kjellberg J, Guldin MB. Dyadic coping in specialized palliative care intervention for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers: Effects and mediation in a randomized controlled trial. Psychooncology. 2019 Feb;28(2):264-270. doi: 10.1002/pon.4932. Epub 2018 Nov 15. PMID 30353600
• DERIVEDSkov Benthien K, Nordly M, von Heymann-Horan A, Rosengaard Holmenlund K, Timm H, Kurita GP, Johansen C, Kjellberg J, von der Maase H, Sjogren P. Causes of Hospital Admissions in Domus: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Specialized Palliative Cancer Care at Home. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018 Mar;55(3):728-736. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.10.007. Epub 2017 Oct 19.