Patient Aid for Theory-Driven Health Communication (PATH): Translating Goal-Power Theory Into an Instrument and Generative AI Support for Palliative Care Communication

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

NurseChat+: Participants will use NurseChat+, a generative AI-supported communication tool, before scheduled palliative care visits to help prepare questions and concerns for discussion with healthcare providers. The intervention is provided in addition to usual care.

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether an artificial intelligence (AI)-supported communication tool can help improve communication between people receiving palliative care and their healthcare providers. The study will also evaluate a new questionnaire designed to measure the quality of healthcare communication.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

1. Can the new questionnaire accurately measure the quality of communication between participants and healthcare providers?
2. Does using the AI-supported communication tool, called NurseChat+, help participants feel more confident and prepared before meeting with their healthcare team?
3. Does NurseChat+ improve the quality of communication during palliative care visits?

Researchers will compare participants who use NurseChat+ together with their usual care to participants who receive usual care alone to see whether the tool improves communication outcomes.

The study will be conducted in three stages. First, researchers will develop and test a questionnaire that measures healthcare communication. Next, they will develop and refine the NurseChat+ tool. Finally, they will test the tool in adults receiving palliative care at National Taiwan University Hospital.

Participants in the final stage of the study will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will use NurseChat+ before their scheduled medical visits in addition to receiving usual care, while the other group will receive usual care only. Participants will complete questionnaires about their communication experiences during the study.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change from Baseline in Communication Self-Efficacy via the 5-item Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interaction Scale (PEPPI-5) — Baseline (T0: within 12 hours prior to the scheduled consultation) and Post-test (T1: immediately following the medical consultation or the interaction with GenAI communication aid).
  【Randomized Control Trial \& Pilot study】The PEPPI-5 is a 5-item self-report instrument used to measure a patient's perceived self-efficacy in communicating with their physician. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (very confident). The total score ranges from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating higher levels of communication self-efficacy. Outcome will be assessed as the change in scores from T0 to T1.
• Quality of Health Communication via the Phase-One Developed Instrument — Post-test follow-up (T1: 24-72 hours after the consultation via telephone interview).
  Evaluated using a newly developed and validated communication-quality instrument generated in Phase One of the study. This instrument is designed to comprehensively assess the specific communication quality, patterns, and clinical encounter effectiveness between healthcare providers and palliative care patients/families when aided by GenAI communication aid. The instrument is currently undergoing development and psychometric validation. The finalized total score will be structured such that higher scores will mathematically indicate a superior quality of health communication and better communication patterns.

Trial sites (1)

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