LymphomaNCT06328699
Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation to Improve Spiritual Care of Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation
A study testing Spiritual Therapy and Best Practice in people with Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma, run by Emory University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This clinical trial tests the feasibility, implementation and acceptability of chaplain delivered compassion meditation in order to improve spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
- What is being tested?
- Spiritual Therapy and Best Practice
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Oct 2023to 15 Nov 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- PATIENT: Within 6 weeks of scheduled hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
- PATIENT: > 18 years of age
- PATIENT: Speak and read English
- CHAPLAIN: Emory Healthcare chaplain
Who cannot join
- PATIENT: Patients will be excluded if they are cognitively impaired, on a ventilator, or are in a room requiring enteric precautions or airborne precautions (e.g., use of an N-95 mask requiring fit-testing) to enter
- CHAPLAIN: There will be no exclusion criteria and no consequence to the chaplains for refusing to volunteer
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
About this study
Official title: Randomized Pilot Study of Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation for Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation
This clinical trial tests the feasibility, implementation and acceptability of chaplain delivered compassion meditation in order to improve spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation. Hospital chaplains play a vital role in delivering emotional and spiritual care to a broad range of both religious and non-religious patients for a wide variety of stressors, and extensive research indicates that spiritual consults impact patient outcomes and satisfaction. Compassion meditation is a secularized, research-based mindfulness and compassion meditation program designed to expand and strengthen compassion for self and others. Practices include training in attentional stability and increased emotional awareness, as well as targeted reflections to appreciate one's relationship with self and others. By centering the mind, controlling debilitating ruminative thoughts, and cultivating personal resiliency and an inclusive and more accurate understanding of others. Engaging in chaplain delivered compassion meditation may improve the spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation.
Read the detailed description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
- To examine the feasibility, adoption, extent of implementation, acceptability and fidelity of chaplain-delivered compassion-centered spiritual health (CCSH).
OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.
ARM I: Patients receive chaplain-led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions over 30 minutes, twice per week for up to 2 weeks.
ARM II: Patients receive a traditional chaplain consultation and care upon request, per standard of care.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 80-100 days and 6 months post treatment.
- Conditions
- Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
- Being tested
- Spiritual Therapy, Best Practice
- Medical subject headings
- Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Spiritual TherapyProcedure or surgery
Undergo chaplain led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions
Best PracticeOther
Also called best practice, standard of care, standard of care, standard therapy
Receive a traditional chaplain consultation and will receive care upon request
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Arm I (Chaplain delivered compassion meditation) | Experimental | Patients receive chaplain led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions over 30 minutes, twice per week for up to 2 weeks. Receives: Procedure: Spiritual Therapy |
| Arm II (Traditional chaplain consultation) | Active comparator | Patients receive a traditional chaplain consultation and care upon request, per standard of care. Receives: Other: Best Practice |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility - patient enrollment and treatment-specific retention rates
Will measure and characterize the proportion of eligible patient screens who enroll and treatment-specific retention rates.
Measured: Up to 8 months
Secondary outcomes (3)
Patient Characteristics Affecting Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey
We will examine whether scores on the chaplain satisfaction survey vary based on patient sociodemographic variables (biological sex, race)
Measured: Up to 8 months
Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant [FACT-BMT]
Impact of chaplain-delivered compassion-centered spiritual health on quality of life
Measured: Up to 8 months
Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey
Will administer a post- chaplain-based compassion treatment (CBCT) intervention using chaplain satisfaction survey and will ask patients after each session if they would like to continue receiving CBCT sessions.
Measured: Up to 8 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Mar 2024
- Study start30 Oct 2023
- Primary completion13 Nov 2024
- Study completion15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for LymphomaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Emory UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Emory University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jennifer Mascaro, Emory University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06328699
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00006456
- Other IDs
- EU6011-23, K01AT010488, P30CA138292
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Dec 2023
- Last updated
- 26 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Randomized Pilot Study of Chaplain-Delivered Compassion Meditation for Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06328699
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00006456
- Conditions
- Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Emory UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Study start
- 30 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 13 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This clinical trial tests the feasibility, implementation and acceptability of chaplain delivered compassion meditation in order to improve spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation. Hospital chaplains play a vital role in delivering emotional and spiritual care to a broad range of both religious and non-religious patients for a wide variety of stressors, and extensive research indicates that spiritual consults impact patient outcomes and satisfaction. Compassion meditation is a secularized, research-based mindfulness and compassion meditation program designed to expand and strengthen compassion for self and others. Practices include training in attentional stability and increased emotional awareness, as well as targeted reflections to appreciate one's relationship with self and others. By centering the mind, controlling debilitating ruminative thoughts, and cultivating personal resiliency and an inclusive and more accurate understanding of others. Engaging in chaplain delivered compassion meditation may improve the spiritual care for patients receiving stem cell transplantation.
Detailed description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
- To examine the feasibility, adoption, extent of implementation, acceptability and fidelity of chaplain-delivered compassion-centered spiritual health (CCSH).
OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.
ARM I: Patients receive chaplain-led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions over 30 minutes, twice per week for up to 2 weeks.
ARM II: Patients receive a traditional chaplain consultation and care upon request, per standard of care.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 80-100 days and 6 months post treatment.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Arm I (Chaplain delivered compassion meditation) | Experimental | Procedure: Spiritual TherapyPatients receive chaplain led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions over 30 minutes, twice per week for up to 2 weeks. |
| Arm II (Traditional chaplain consultation) | Active comparator | Other: Best PracticePatients receive a traditional chaplain consultation and care upon request, per standard of care. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- PATIENT: Within 6 weeks of scheduled hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
- PATIENT: > 18 years of age
- PATIENT: Speak and read English
- CHAPLAIN: Emory Healthcare chaplain
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- PATIENT: Patients will be excluded if they are cognitively impaired, on a ventilator, or are in a room requiring enteric precautions or airborne precautions (e.g., use of an N-95 mask requiring fit-testing) to enter
- CHAPLAIN: There will be no exclusion criteria and no consequence to the chaplains for refusing to volunteer
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Spiritual TherapyUndergo chaplain led compassionate centered spiritual health sessions | Procedure or surgery | Arm I (Chaplain delivered compassion meditation) |
| Best PracticeAlso: best practice, standard of care, standard of care, standard therapyReceive a traditional chaplain consultation and will receive care upon request | Other | Arm II (Traditional chaplain consultation) |
Primary outcome
Feasibility - patient enrollment and treatment-specific retention rates
Time frame: Up to 8 months
Will measure and characterize the proportion of eligible patient screens who enroll and treatment-specific retention rates.
3 secondary outcomes
Patient Characteristics Affecting Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey
Time frame: Up to 8 months
Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant [FACT-BMT]
Time frame: Up to 8 months
Acceptability - Chaplain Satisfaction Survey
Time frame: Up to 8 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Aug 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Spiritual Therapy and Best Practice in people with Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma, run by Emory University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Feasibility - patient enrollment and treatment-specific retention rates (time frame: Up to 8 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Aug 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.