Development and pilot testing of the Question Prompt List (QPL) intervention to meet information needs of advanced cancer patients

ISRCTN	ISRCTN26149683
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN26149683
Protocol serial number	7138
Sponsor	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
Funder	Dimbleby Cancer Care (UK)

Submission date: 12/05/2010
Registration date: 12/05/2010
Last edited: 13/12/2019

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Cancer

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/trials/a-study-looking-new-way-helping-people-advanced-cancer-get-the-information-they-need-qpl-pilot-study

Contact information

Ms Hannah Jones
Scientific

Department of Palliative Care
Policy and Rehabilitation
Weston Education Centre
10 Cutcombe Road
London
SE5 9RJ
United Kingdom

Study information

Primary study design	Observational
Study design	Multicentre observational process of care qualitative study
Secondary study design	Multi-centre
Study type	Participant information sheet
Scientific title	Development and pilot testing of the Question Prompt List (QPL) intervention to meet information needs of advanced cancer patients
Study acronym	Question Prompt List
Study objectives	Information provision persists as a primary unmet need in advanced cancer. Some interventions can be costly (e.g. group intervention or personalised, tailored interventions). This intervention has been demonstrated, in its original Australian format, to improve the number of questions asked and to reduce unmet information needs. We intend that a cheap, feasible, acceptable and potentially efficacious intervention (based on the Australian intervention) modeled to the UK setting from the Australian example will be designed, and a full randomised controlled trial (RCT) protocol will be generated that can provide patient and carer based outcomes to assess efficacy. Further, having piloted the intervention, a learning effect among clinicians in a subsequent full trial may be minimised. The patient-centred, low-cost, easily produced and disseminated intervention could be easily incorporated into advanced cancer care services.
Ethics approval(s)	MREC approved (ref: 09/H1102/21)
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Topic: National Cancer Research Network; Subtopic: All Cancers/Misc Sites; Disease: All
Intervention	The Questionnaire Prompt List (QPL) is an innovative intervention designed to address these unmet needs among patients and carers. It is brief, patient/carer-centred and controlled by them, very low cost, and proven to be efficacious. It provides patients and carers with a list of topics and specific questions that they may wish to raise with their clinician should they wish, and offers both wording and topics to facilitate ability to pose questions of current or potential future concern. Follow up length: 1 month Study entry: registration only
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Key secondary outcome measure(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Completion date	30/04/2010

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Adult
Lower age limit	18 Years
Sex	All
Target sample size at registration	70
Key inclusion criteria	Phase I: 1. 20 adult patients and 20 informal carers aged 18 years or older, either sex 2. A diagnosis of an advanced progressive malignancy 3. Under care of KCH acute inpatient palliative care/GSTT home palliative care 4. Sufficient spoken English to engage in a qualitative interview Patient and carer dyads are not necessary. Phase II: 1. 30 adult patients aged 18 years or older, either sex 2. A diagnosis of an advanced progressive malignancy 3. Sufficient ability to speak and read English to utilise the intervention and engage in research interviews
Key exclusion criteria	1. Aged under 18 years 2. Insufficient Spoken/written English
Date of first enrolment	10/08/2009
Date of final enrolment	30/04/2010

Locations

Countries of recruitment

United Kingdom
England

Study participating centre

Department of Palliative Care

London
SE5 9RJ
United Kingdom

Results and Publications

Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Participant information sheet	Participant information sheet	11/11/2025	11/11/2025	No	Yes

Editorial Notes

13/12/2019: No publications found, all search options exhausted, study status unverified.
18/12/2017: No publications found in PubMed, verifying study status with principal investigator.

Development and pilot testing of the Question Prompt List (QPL) intervention to meet information needs of advanced cancer patients