All Providers Better Communication Skills Program' (ABCs)
All Providers Better Communication Skills Program' (ABCs) Interprofessional Provider Education Randomized Controlled Trial
- 2 groups
- 2 sites in Hamilton
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Behavioural therapy
All providers Better Communication Skills program' (ABCs) interprofessional provider education
The 'All providers: Better Communication Skills program' (ABCs) is a virtual, person-centred education curriculum for interprofessional health care providers. The ABCs program adopts a blended format (i.e., participants engage in both asynchronous online modules \[five\] and synchronous interactive workshops \[three\]) that has relevance to learners and clinicians at all levels of training and practice. The ABCs program focuses on four essential elements of being a skillful communicator: principles of effective communication, conversation structure, communication skills, and reflective practice. The program consists of virtual modules that provide any clinician with practical tools, tips, and strategies to implement when communicating with seriously ill patients and their families. Terminology is clarified and consistent, the complexities of conversations are simplified and the fundamental approach and structure can be applied to different contexts.
Canadian Sites (2)
2 of 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario
- Recruiting
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for2 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +All individuals that work in a health care provision capacity including health care professionals, care coordinators and administrators are eligible to enroll and participate in the ABCs study.
Exclusion
- −Individuals, including patients, that do not work in a health care provision capacity.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study does not fall into the standard research categories.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives All providers Better Communication Skills program' (ABCs) interprofessional provider education.
Registry label: A: Intervention
Group B receives no study treatment and is followed for comparison.
Registry label: B: Control
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment at all, and is followed for comparison.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists a minimum age of 18 years, with no upper limit given.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 350 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around January 2027.
The main measurement is taken over: All groups: 1) From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → to start of Intervention Group ABCs education, 2) Post ABCs education for Intervention Group, at 4 months, 3) Post ABCs education for Control GroupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more →, at 8 months. Sample: 6 months post ABCs (14 months).
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Assessment of Clinical Encounter-Communications Tool (ACE-CT) — measured over All groups: 1) From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → to start of Intervention Group ABCs education, 2) Post ABCs education for Intervention Group, at 4 months, 3) Post ABCs education for Control GroupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more →, at 8 months. Sample: 6 months post ABCs (14 months).
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06606470 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About All providers Better Communication Skills program' (ABCs) interprofessional provider educationBehavioural
The 'All providers: Better Communication Skills program' (ABCs) is a virtual, person-centred education curriculum for interprofessional health care providers. The ABCs program adopts a blended format (i.e., participants engage in both asynchronous online modules \[five\] and synchronous interactive workshops \[three\]) that has relevance to learners and clinicians at all levels of training and practice. The ABCs program focuses on four essential elements of being a skillful communicator: principles of effective communication, conversation structure, communication skills, and reflective practice. The program consists of virtual modules that provide any clinician with practical tools, tips, and strategies to implement when communicating with seriously ill patients and their families. Terminology is clarified and consistent, the complexities of conversations are simplified and the fundamental approach and structure can be applied to different contexts.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a behavioural is here: A programme, therapy, education, or lifestyle approach being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: a minimum age of 18 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment and is followed for comparison.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists a minimum age of 18 years, with no upper limit given.
It is open to people of any sex.
It accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: All groups: 1) From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → to start of Intervention Group ABCs education, 2) Post ABCs education for Intervention Group, at 4 months, 3) Post ABCs education for Control GroupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more →, at 8 months. Sample: 6 months post ABCs (14 months)..
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2027-01-30.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 350 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
High quality, person-centered communication for those living with serious illness benefits patients, families and clinicians. Evidence shows that clinicians rarely engage patients in these, sometimes challenging, discussions. Current education programs to build health care provider competency in serious illness communication are often inconsistent in defined purpose and use of terms. This education also tends to be oriented to treatments, not a person or do not cover the full range of difficult conversations between diagnosis and delivery of end-of-life care. The ABCs program is an education intervention for health care providers that features a blended format of online modules and interactive virtual workshops, relevant to clinicians at all levels of training and practice. This study will examine the effectiveness of this training (over no training) for impacting provider competency and behavior change in serious illness communication. All participants in this study will receive the full ABCs training, but at different times. The overall intended impact of this program is to improve clinician confidence and satisfaction in having conversations with patients and families about serious illness. The ultimate goal of the ABCs program is to increase access to early palliative care by empowering more providers to initiate this care.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.