Clinical trial · Interventional
Primary Palliative Care - a Feasibility Cluster Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This feasibility cluster-controlled randomized trial (RCT) evaluates a complex intervention for the delivery of primary palliative care in Family Health Units (FHUs). The intervention consists of training General Practitioners (GPs) in palliative care through a 30 hour e-learning program and implementing a structured consultation model (4 consultations over 12 weeks) for adult patients with advanced chronic illness. One FHU will receive the intervention and one FHU will follow usual care. The primary goal is to assess feasibility metrics (GP adherence, patient recruitment rate, and patient retention rate), which will inform the design of a subsequent full-scale cluster RCT.
Conditions
Conditions (6)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.78 |
| Chronic Kidney Disease (Stages 4 and 5) | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Congestive Heart Failure Chronic | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Palliative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Primary Palliative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Palliative Care Complex Intervention (PrimPal) | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Primary Palliative Care Consultation
- description
- General Practitioners in the intervention FHU complete a 30hour e-learning training programme in palliative care and apply a new structured consultation model over 12 weeks (4 consultations) with recruited patients.
- interventionNames
- Other: Primary Palliative Care Complex Intervention (PrimPal)
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Control (Usual Care)
- description
- GPs in the control FHU deliver usual palliative care without specific training or structured consultation model.
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- GP Feasibility Rate (Implementation Rate)
- timeFrame
- 12 weeks (from start of intervention to end of consultation cycle - Week 12 / T2)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 18 years or older. * Enrolled as a patient on the list of a recruited General Practitioner in one of the participating Family Health Units. * Diagnosed with one or more of the following advanced chronic conditions: * Advanced-stage neoplasm (metastatic/stage IV cancer); * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - GOLD classification III or IV; * Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) - New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification III or IV; * Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) - stage IV or V. Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal to provide informed consent or to participate in the study at any point. * Disease severity requiring urgent medical intervention (acute crisis/emergency care need at time of recruitment).
References
Publications (2)
- BACKGROUNDSeica Cardoso C, Prazeres F, Oliveiros B, Nunes C, Simoes P, Aires C, Rita P, Penetra J, Lopes P, Alcobia S, Baptista S, Venancio C, Gomes B. Feasibility and effectiveness of a two-tiered intervention involving training and a new consultation model for patients with palliative care needs in primary care: A before-after study. Palliat Med. 2024 Sep;38(8):842-852. doi: 10.1177/02692163231219682. Epub 2024 Jan 16. PMID 38226491
- BACKGROUNDSeica Cardoso C, Prazeres F, Nunes C, Simoes P, Aires C, Rita P, Penetra J, Lopes P, Alcobia S, Gomes B. Impact of a complex intervention in primary care for patients with palliative care needs in their healthcare utilization: a before-after study. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2026 Jan 30;27:e15. doi: 10.1017/S1463423625100777. PMID 41612825