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Dr Marc Serfaty (Reader in Psychiatry) is the Chief Investigator for this study.
The principal co-investigators are: Dr Joe Low (Senior Research Fellow), Mrs Sarah Davis (Research Associate), Ms Victoria Vickerstaff (Medical Statistician), Dr Anna Gola (Health Economist), Dr Louise Jones (Clinical Senior Lecturer), Professor Michael King (Division of Psychiatry UCL), Professor Rumana Omar (Department of Biostatistics UCL), Mrs Karen Turner (Clinical Lead Physiotherapist), Dr Adrian Tookman (Medical director MCHH), Mrs Janet St John Austin (Patient representative);
CanACT feasibility study:
This 2.5 year study funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit, aims to test the feasibility of conducting a study using Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) with people with advanced cancer attending hospice day care centres at three sites in London. ACT is a psychological treatment which encourages acknowledgement and acceptance of mental experiences, increasing people's ability to work with problems that cannot be solved. ACT is effective in many areas of health such as chronic pain, but few studies have been carried out in people with advanced cancer. This is a feasibility randomised control trial (RCT) comparing use of ACT with a talking control. We shall also carry out a small qualitative study to explore patients' views of taking part in the study and what they thought of the treatment. The main aims of this research are to learn if a study of this nature is possible, specifically looking at if we can deliver the treatment, whether patients are able to complete all our questionnaires (a variety of functional, psychological and quality of life measures). We shall learn what needs to be taken into account when designing a future larger study including likely sample size, and possible costs of delivering the intervention. This trial will involve services in three specialist palliative care day hospices situated in north and east London (United Kingdom). The study commenced in May 2015 with the appointment of Dr Megan Armstrong (Research Associate), with participant recruitment starting in November 2015. We aim to recruit 54 participants, from which 23 participants have currently been recruited.
For more information please contact: Joe Low
