When people become seriously ill, healthcare decisions are influenced not only by their medical condition, but also by their personal situation, values, wishes, and daily life circumstances. A medically appropriate treatment may not always fit what is important or realistic for an individual. Contextualised care aims to integrate relevant aspects of a patient's life into care and decision-making. This study investigates whether an interactive communication training program can help healthcare professionals provide more contextualised care for people with serious illness. The training aims to improve professionals' skills in recognising, exploring, and integrating relevant patient context into clinical decision-making and teamwork. Healthcare professionals from hospital teams in the Netherlands will participate, including physicians, nurses, nurse specialists, and physician assistants caring for patients with serious illness. The training consists of two three-hour sessions. Participants will practice communication skills using realistic clinical situations and learn how patient context can be incorporated into care planning and communication within the healthcare team. The effects of the training will be evaluated in several ways. Healthcare professionals will complete questionnaires before and after training to assess competence, communication, and job satisfaction. Responses to simulated patient situations will be analysed to examine how participants recognise and respond to patients' concerns. Medical records will also be reviewed to examine whether non-somatic aspects of care are more often documented, anticipated, and communicated after the training. Hospital-based healthcare use and associated costs will also be assessed. The study aims to provide insight into whether training hospital teams in contextualised communication can support more personalised, appropriate, and person-centred care for people living with serious illness.
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See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Change in self-assessed competence in contextualised care (measured using the Spiritual Care Competence Scale)
Timeframe: Baseline (4 weeks before training) to 4 and 16 weeks after training