On Our Own Terms: A Lay Health Advisor Pilot Study

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的试点研究将设计和测试非专业健康顾问干预的可行性，其总体目标是改善非洲裔美国癌症患者的疼痛和痛苦治疗。为了实现这一目标，我们将利用北卡罗来纳大学医学院和逸夫大学（一所历史悠久的黑人大学）之间成功的研究伙伴关系。一个跨学科的教师小组在姑息治疗和社区研究方面的专业知识将从6个非裔美国人教会招募30名姑息治疗专业健康顾问（PCLHA）。PCLHA将接受3个内容领域的培训-姑息治疗，精神护理和非专业健康顾问技能。然后CLHA将与60名非裔美国癌症患者配对，提供有关疼痛和症状管理，当地姑息治疗资源和精神护理的咨询。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed pilot study will design and test the feasibility of a Lay Health Advisor intervention with the overall objective of improving treatment for pain and suffering for African American patients with cancer. To achieve this objective, we will utilize a successful research partnership between the UNC-CH School of Medicine and Shaw University, a historically black university. An interdisciplinary group of faculty with expertise in palliative care and in community-based research will recruit 30 Palliative Care Lay Health Advisors (PCLHA) from 6 African American churches. PCLHA will receive training in 3 content areas - palliative care, spiritual care giving, and lay health advisor skills. CLHA will then be paired with 60 African American cancer patients to provide counseling about pain and symptom management, local palliative care resources and spiritual care. Specific aims of this proposal are: 1. To explore the acceptability and comprehensiveness of an existing measure of quality of life at the end of life (QUAL-E) in focus groups of African-American cancer patients and family caregivers, 2. To test the feasibility of proposed methods for recruiting and training Palliative Care Lay Health Advisors from African-American churches, 3. To test the feasibility of proposed methods for pairing Palliative Care Lay Health Advisors with African-American patients with pain and suffering from cancer, and 4. To describe the impact of Palliative Care Lay Health Advisors on these cancer patients': a) knowledge of providers of pain and symptom treatment, b) communication about life-sustaining treatment choices, c) quality of life, and d) perceived unmet need for treatment of pain and suffering.