CommunicationNCT07071116
Seminar in Unwavering Empowering Presence Optimized for Rehabilitation Teams
A study testing Communication skills training and Communication skills training-Facilitator in people with Communication, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of a serious illness communication skills training (CST) tailored to rehabilitation professionals to improve their comfort and confidence in navigating difficult conversations with patients and families. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Communication
- What is being tested?
- Communication skills training and Communication skills training-Facilitator
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 25 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Jul 2025to Oct 2028
- 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 Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Licensed rehabilitation professionals (e.g., physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists) employed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital actively involved in the care of pediatric oncology patients.
- Willingness to participate in the communication skills training (CST) intervention and associated study activities.
- St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators who have participated as an educator in at least one other institutional educational event
- Willingness to facilitate the communication skills training (CST) intervention and complete associated study activities.
Who cannot join
- Non-rehabilitation professionals
- Individuals unable to attend the CST intervention session.
- Individuals unable to attend the CST intervention session.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee, 38105
Brittany Cowfer, MD, 888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org
Brittany Cowfer, MD
About this study
The goal of this study to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of a serious illness communication skills training (CST) tailored to rehabilitation professionals to improve their comfort and confidence in navigating difficult conversations with patients and families.
Primary Objectives:
Read more
Aim 1: To assess feasibility and acceptability of a multidisciplinary co-designed interactive CST program for rehabilitation professionals who care for children with serious illness and their families.
Aim 2: To characterize the potential impact of this CST intervention on pediatric rehabilitation professionals.
Secondary Objective:
Aim 3: To examine the perspectives of bereaved parent educators on participation in the implementation of communication training for rehabilitation professionals.
Read the detailed description
The Communication Skills training (CST) will last approximately 3 hours. It will consist of three main components: Part 1 will begin with an introductory case of an emotional parent, then a brief didactic with a framework on responding to emotion, and end with rehab professionals actively practicing 'drills' using the framework for responding to emotion. Part 2 will be a panel of bereaved parents. Learners will be asked to think of questions to ask the parents in advance and will also be invited to ask questions that come to mind in the moment. Part 3 will be focused on sharing serious news, beginning with an introductory case of sharing cancer progression, followed by didactic teaching in a VitalTalk framework, 'REMAP,' for sharing serious news and eliciting goals/values. Leaders will then introduce role-play via a demonstration case. Next, learners will be divided into small groups for discussion and role-play, with a strong emphasis on principles of psychological safety and learner autonomy. and incorporates didactic instruction, experiential learning, and involvement of bereaved parent educators.
Demographic information will be collected for participating bereaved parent educators and rehabilitation professionals. Rehabilitation professionals will complete pre-intervention self-assessment surveys immediately prior to the educational intervention. Post-intervention self-assessment surveys will be administered immediately after completion of the intervention and 3-months post-intervention to assess for retention. Rehabilitation professionals and bereaved parent educators will also be interviewed about their experience following the intervention. The interviews will be done on an individual basis either virtually or in-person.
- Conditions
- Communication
- Being tested
- Communication skills training, Communication skills training-Facilitator
- Keywords
- Communication Skills Training (CST), Rehabilitation Professionals
- Medical subject headings
- Communication
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Communication skills trainingOther
Also called CST
See Detailed Description
Communication skills training-FacilitatorOther
Also called CST-Facilitator
See Detailed Description
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed rehabilitation professionals | Other | Licensed rehabilitation professionals (e.g., physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists) employed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital actively involved in the care of pediatric oncology patients who will participate in the CST intervention Receives: Other: Communication skills training |
| St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators | Other | St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators who have participated as an educator in at least one other institutional educational event and will facilitate the CST intervention Receives: Other: Communication skills training-Facilitator |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) scale
Investigators will compute the mean Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) score for each participant using the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) is used to assess how feasible it is to implement a specific intervention. The FIM measure includes four itemized responses that are scored from one to five (1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree) such that one represents the lowest possible mean score and five the highest possible mean score. It is scored by averaging the responses to each of the four questions. Higher scores indicate greater perceived feasibility of the intervention.
Measured: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) scale
Investigators will compute the mean Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) score for each participant and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) is a four-item scale used to assess the acceptability of an intervention. It is scored by calculating the mean of the responses to its four items, each measured on a 5-point Likert scale(1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree). This results in a final score ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
Measured: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on the Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) scale
Investigators will compute the mean Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) score for each participant and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) is a four-item scale used to assess the appropriateness of interventions by capturing individual perspectives on the alignment of the intervention with professional values and perceived efficacy in meeting patient needs. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree). The score is calculated by averaging the responses to all items. A higher score on the IAM indicates a stronger perception that the intervention is appropriate for the given situation and context.
Measured: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Potential impact of this CST intervention on pediatric rehabilitation professionals
Investigators will calculate the proportions of participants who select "Agree" or "Completely agree" in both the pre- and post-intervention surveys and conduct statistical tests, such as Fisher's exact test or the Chi-square test, to determine whether the change in these proportions over time is statistically significant.
Measured: Prior to the start of the intervention (day 1) and at the end of study, approximately 3 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Perspectives of bereaved parent educators on participation in the implementation of communication training for rehabilitation professionals.
Interviews will be conducted with bereaved parent educators following the intervention. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed using content analysis, an inductive approach which may include memo-writing, codebook development, coding, reconciliation, and synthesis to identify patterns and themes that emerge from the interviews.
Measured: Within 3 months post intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Jul 2025
- Study start9 Jul 2025
- Primary completionJul 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionOct 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CommunicationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by St. Jude Children's Research HospitalThe 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
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Brittany Cowfer, MD, Principal investigator, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07071116
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SUPPORT
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 13 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual participant de-identified datasets containing the variables analyzed in the published article will be made available (related to the study primary or secondary objectives contained in the publication). Supporting documents such as the protocol, statistical analyses plan, and informed consent are available through the CTG website for the specific study. Data used to generate the published article will be made available at the time of article publication. Investigators who seek access to individual level de-identified data will contact the computing team in the Department of Biostatistics (ClinTrialDataRequest@stjude.org) who will respond to the data request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Seminar in Unwavering Empowering Presence Optimized for Rehabilitation Teams
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07071116
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SUPPORT
- Conditions
- Communication
- Keywords
- Communication Skills Training (CST), Rehabilitation Professionals
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- St. Jude Children's Research HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Oct 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Jul 2025 (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.
The goal of this study to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of a serious illness communication skills training (CST) tailored to rehabilitation professionals to improve their comfort and confidence in navigating difficult conversations with patients and families.
Primary Objectives:
Aim 1: To assess feasibility and acceptability of a multidisciplinary co-designed interactive CST program for rehabilitation professionals who care for children with serious illness and their families.
Aim 2: To characterize the potential impact of this CST intervention on pediatric rehabilitation professionals.
Secondary Objective:
Aim 3: To examine the perspectives of bereaved parent educators on participation in the implementation of communication training for rehabilitation professionals.
Detailed description
The Communication Skills training (CST) will last approximately 3 hours. It will consist of three main components: Part 1 will begin with an introductory case of an emotional parent, then a brief didactic with a framework on responding to emotion, and end with rehab professionals actively practicing 'drills' using the framework for responding to emotion. Part 2 will be a panel of bereaved parents. Learners will be asked to think of questions to ask the parents in advance and will also be invited to ask questions that come to mind in the moment. Part 3 will be focused on sharing serious news, beginning with an introductory case of sharing cancer progression, followed by didactic teaching in a VitalTalk framework, 'REMAP,' for sharing serious news and eliciting goals/values. Leaders will then introduce role-play via a demonstration case. Next, learners will be divided into small groups for discussion and role-play, with a strong emphasis on principles of psychological safety and learner autonomy. and incorporates didactic instruction, experiential learning, and involvement of bereaved parent educators.
Demographic information will be collected for participating bereaved parent educators and rehabilitation professionals. Rehabilitation professionals will complete pre-intervention self-assessment surveys immediately prior to the educational intervention. Post-intervention self-assessment surveys will be administered immediately after completion of the intervention and 3-months post-intervention to assess for retention. Rehabilitation professionals and bereaved parent educators will also be interviewed about their experience following the intervention. The interviews will be done on an individual basis either virtually or in-person.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed rehabilitation professionals | Other | Other: Communication skills trainingLicensed rehabilitation professionals (e.g., physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists) employed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital actively involved in the care of pediatric oncology patients who will participate in the CST intervention |
| St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators | Other | Other: Communication skills training-FacilitatorSt. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators who have participated as an educator in at least one other institutional educational event and will facilitate the CST intervention |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Licensed rehabilitation professionals (e.g., physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists) employed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital actively involved in the care of pediatric oncology patients.
- Willingness to participate in the communication skills training (CST) intervention and associated study activities.
- St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators who have participated as an educator in at least one other institutional educational event
- Willingness to facilitate the communication skills training (CST) intervention and complete associated study activities.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Non-rehabilitation professionals
- Individuals unable to attend the CST intervention session.
- Individuals unable to attend the CST intervention session.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Communication skills trainingAlso: CSTSee Detailed Description | Other | Licensed rehabilitation professionals |
| Communication skills training-FacilitatorAlso: CST-FacilitatorSee Detailed Description | Other | St. Jude Bereaved Parent Educators |
Primary outcome
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) scale
Time frame: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Investigators will compute the mean Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) score for each participant using the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) is used to assess how feasible it is to implement a specific intervention. The FIM measure includes four itemized responses that are scored from one to five (1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree) such that one represents the lowest possible mean score and five the highest possible mean score. It is scored by averaging the responses to each of the four questions. Higher scores indicate greater perceived feasibility of the intervention.
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) scale
Time frame: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Investigators will compute the mean Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) score for each participant and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) is a four-item scale used to assess the acceptability of an intervention. It is scored by calculating the mean of the responses to its four items, each measured on a 5-point Likert scale(1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree). This results in a final score ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on the Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) scale
Time frame: Approximately 3 months post intervention
Investigators will compute the mean Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) score for each participant and report the proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3. The Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) is a four-item scale used to assess the appropriateness of interventions by capturing individual perspectives on the alignment of the intervention with professional values and perceived efficacy in meeting patient needs. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Completely disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Completely agree). The score is calculated by averaging the responses to all items. A higher score on the IAM indicates a stronger perception that the intervention is appropriate for the given situation and context.
Potential impact of this CST intervention on pediatric rehabilitation professionals
Time frame: Prior to the start of the intervention (day 1) and at the end of study, approximately 3 months
Investigators will calculate the proportions of participants who select "Agree" or "Completely agree" in both the pre- and post-intervention surveys and conduct statistical tests, such as Fisher's exact test or the Chi-square test, to determine whether the change in these proportions over time is statistically significant.
1 secondary outcome
Perspectives of bereaved parent educators on participation in the implementation of communication training for rehabilitation professionals.
Time frame: Within 3 months post intervention
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 13 Jul 2026.
- St. Jude Children's Research HospitalLink provided by the sponsor.
- Clinical Trials Open at St. JudeLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual participant de-identified datasets containing the variables analyzed in the published article will be made available (related to the study primary or secondary objectives contained in the publication). Supporting documents such as the protocol, statistical analyses plan, and informed consent are available through the CTG website for the specific study. Data used to generate the published article will be made available at the time of article publication. Investigators who seek access to individual level de-identified data will contact the computing team in the Department of Biostatistics (ClinTrialDataRequest@stjude.org) who will respond to the data request.
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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.
Brittany Cowfer, MD principal investigator
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Communication skills training and Communication skills training-Facilitator in people with Communication, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 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 3 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jul 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?
Contact Brittany Cowfer, MD (888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Proportion of participants who achieve a mean score ≥3 on the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) scale (time frame: Approximately 3 months post intervention). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. 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 13 Jul 2026.