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This is a feasibility study taking place at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), Hôpital Montfort, and Queensway Carleton Hospital that seeks to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family member bereavement and study the effect of virtual support groups on reducing risk of developing Severe Grief Reaction (SGR). This project is inviting family members of deceased patients at either of the three before mentioned sites to enroll in this study.
Background:
Severe grief reactions (SGR), or complicated grief (CG), are experienced by 2-3% of the population after the loss of a loved one, and can be associated with declining health, social distress, increased use of healthcare resources and higher mortality. SGR can be related to the circumstances of the patient at the end of life, particularly in deaths that were unexpected or traumatic, when the family member was unprepared or unsupported. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of end-of-life care. For example, infection control measures may reduce interactions between long-term care residents and family members, and have often limited in-person family visiting to the final hours of life, or no visiting at all for patients with COVID-19. Anecdotally, this disruption of normal interactions has been difficult for patients and families alike, and it is known that isolation and lack of closure with a loved one can contribute to the risk of SGR. The prevalence of SGR is expected to rise amid increased challenges in supporting a surge of people with SGR due to physical distancing and limited bereavement resources.
Methods:
The proposed mixed methods explanatory study includes both retrospective and prospective data collection. The quantitative components will principally consist of natural experiments to identify patient/FM characteristics indicating a high risk of SGR during the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative components will deepen an understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on bereavement, while providing a formative evaluation for the virtual support groups. Study subjects will include all patients who died in an acute care facility in Ottawa (The Ottawa Hospital, Queensway-Carleton Hospital, and Hôpital Montfort) from January 1, 2020 until June 30, 2020, and their primary contact (as indicated in their medical record).
Significance:
Early identification of FMs at risk of SGR provides an opportunity for early intervention with the hope of preventing or reducing the severity of the SGR, but it also enables prioritization of those in greatest need, should demand exceed resources. Moreover, because it is still early in the pandemic, the study will be able to collect clinical data about the circumstances of the death, and consistently collect bereavement data for family members of people who died before and after the pandemic struck, and before and after the availability of virtual support groups. Therefore have a unique opportunity to conduct two natural experiments- studying the impact of the COVID pandemic on bereavement, and studying the effect of virtual support groups on symptoms.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Support Group Arm | Experimental | Those with severe symptoms (indicated by an ICG-r score >25) will be notified that their symptoms are considered to be severe, with a suggestion to attend the virtual support groups. A recent meta-analysis of psychological interventions for grief found higher effect sizes in studies of participants who were >6 months post-loss, and those with higher baseline symptom levels. However, no participant in our study will be randomized to any treatment assignment, and the decision to attend the VSG will be left to the family members. |
|
| Non-Virtual Support Group Arm | No Intervention | Family members that choose not to participate in the Virtual Support Group will be part of this non-intervention arm |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bereavement Virtual Support Group | Other | Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly "Support and Share" nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- interested participants from the breakout groups can attend "Closed Groups" where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore their grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased). |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| The Inventory for Complicated Grief-revised (ICG-r) Score at 6 Months Post-death | This tool, used to detect pathological grief, has a total of 19 questions. Respondents rate the frequency with which they experience each item on a 5-point scale (0-4), ranging from "never" to "always." Respondents with ICG-r scores greater than 25 are significantly more impaired in social, general, mental and physical health functioning and in bodily pain than those with ICG-r scores less than or equal to 25. Higher scores result in higher likelihood of CG. | at 6 months post-death |
| The Inventory for Complicated Grief-revised (ICG-r) Score at 12 Months Post-death | Participating FMs will have a repeat ICG-r assessment (as described for primary outcome #1) at 12 months post-death. | at 12 months post-death |
| Change in ICG-r Score From 6 Months to 12 Months Post-death | The relative changes in ICG-r scores (change in mean score with SD) between 6 and 12 months of family members who participate in the VSGs vs. those who do not will be compared as a measure of the efficacy of the VSG intervention | at 12 months post-death relative to 6 months post-death |
| Qualitative Interviews Post-Virtual Support Group | The data for this primary outcome could not be collected due to no participants completing the virtual support group intervention. As a result, no interviews could be conducted. Interviews with family member participants upon completion of the virtual support group intervention were to be conducted to determine usefulness for family members' bereavement process. This is a qualitative method of data collection so there is no scale or score. | Through study completion, an average of 1 year |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| James Downar, MD | Ottawa Hospital Research Institute | Study Chair |
| Peter G Lawlor, MD | Bruyere Continuing Care | Principal Investigator |
| Henrique Parsons, MD | The Ottawa Hospital | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hospital | Ottawa | Ontario | K1H 8L6 | Canada |
All data will be de-identified prior to entering analysis with anyone outside of the research team
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FG000 | Virtual Support Group Arm | Those with severe symptoms (indicated by an ICG-r score >25) will be notified that their symptoms are considered to be severe, with a suggestion to attend the virtual support groups. A recent meta-analysis of psychological interventions for grief found higher effect sizes in studies of participants who were >6 months post-loss, and those with higher baseline symptom levels. No participant will be randomized to any treatment assignment. The decision to attend the VSG is left to the family members. Bereavement Virtual Support Group: Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly "Support and Share" nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- participants from the breakout groups can attend "Closed Groups" where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased). |
| FG001 | Non-Virtual Support Group Arm | Family members that choose not to participate in the Virtual Support Group will be part of this non-intervention arm |
| Title | Milestones | Reasons Not Completed | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study |
|
No participants attended the virtual support group.
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BG000 | Virtual Support Group Arm | Those with severe symptoms (indicated by an ICG-r score >25) will be notified that their symptoms are considered to be severe, with a suggestion to attend the virtual support groups. A recent meta-analysis of psychological interventions for grief found higher effect sizes in studies of participants who were >6 months post-loss, and those with higher baseline symptom levels. No participant will be randomized to any treatment assignment. The decision to attend the VSG is left to the family members. Bereavement Virtual Support Group: Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly "Support and Share" nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- participants from the breakout groups can attend "Closed Groups" where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased). |
| Units | Counts |
|---|---|
| Participants |
|
| Title | Description | Population Description | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Denominator Units Selected | Denominators | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | Mean |
| Type | Title | Description | Population Description | Reporting Status | Anticipated Posting Date | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Time Frame | Units Analyzed | Denominator Units Selected | Arm/Group Information | Denominators | Classes | Analyses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | The Inventory for Complicated Grief-revised (ICG-r) Score at 6 Months Post-death | This tool, used to detect pathological grief, has a total of 19 questions. Respondents rate the frequency with which they experience each item on a 5-point scale (0-4), ranging from "never" to "always." Respondents with ICG-r scores greater than 25 are significantly more impaired in social, general, mental and physical health functioning and in bodily pain than those with ICG-r scores less than or equal to 25. Higher scores result in higher likelihood of CG. | No participants indicated they attended a virtual support group. | Posted | Count of Participants | Participants | at 6 months post-death |
|
Up to 12 months post-death
No adverse events were reported
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| ID | Title | Description | Deaths (Affected) | Deaths (At Risk) | Serious Events (Affected) | Serious Events (At Risk) | Other Events (Affected) | Other Events (At Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG000 | Virtual Support Group Arm | Those with severe symptoms (indicated by an ICG-r score >25) will be notified that their symptoms are considered to be severe, with a suggestion to attend the virtual support groups. A recent meta-analysis of psychological interventions for grief found higher effect sizes in studies of participants who were >6 months post-loss, and those with higher baseline symptom levels. No participant will be randomized to any treatment assignment. The decision to attend the VSG is left to the family members. Bereavement Virtual Support Group: Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly "Support and Share" nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- participants from the breakout groups can attend "Closed Groups" where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased). |
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| Title | Organization | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. James Downar | University of Ottawa | 613 562 6262 | 1502 | jdownar@toh.ca |
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prot_SAP | Yes | Yes | No | Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan | Nov 11, 2021 | Dec 26, 2022 | Prot_SAP_000.pdf |
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All participants in the prospective bereavement data collection component of this study will be invited to participate in the virtual support group (VSG) intervention, regardless of the severity of their symptoms. Those with severe symptoms (indicated by an ICG-r score >25) will be notified that their symptoms are considered to be severe, with a suggestion to attend the VSGs. A recent meta-analysis of psychological interventions for grief found higher effect sizes in studies of participants who were >6 months post-loss, and those with higher baseline symptom levels. However, no participant in the study will be randomized to any treatment assignment, and the decision to attend the VSG will be left to the participants.
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|
| BG001 | Non-Virtual Support Group Arm | Family members that choose not to participate in the Virtual Support Group will be part of this non-intervention arm |
| BG002 | Total | Total of all reporting groups |
| years |
|
| Sex: Female, Male | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Region of Enrollment | Number | participants |
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| Physical presence of family in the last 48 h of life | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Virtual presence of family in the last 48 h of life | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Physical/in person interaction between the team and family in the last 5 days of life | Total number of physical/in-person interactions between the healthcare team and decedents' family members in the last 5 days of life | Mean | Standard Deviation | Number of interactions |
|
| Brief Family Relationship Scale (Total score) | A 16-item measure with each item rated as a yes or no (1 or 0). Higher total scores indicate higher levels of family functioning. Total scores range from 0-16. | Mean | Standard Deviation | units on a scale |
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| Relationship to deceased | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Phone call interaction between the team and family in the last 5 days of life | Total number of phone call interactions between the healthcare team and decedents' family members in the last 5 days of life | Mean | Standard Deviation | Number of interactions |
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| Virtual interaction between the team and family in the last 5 days of life | Total number of virtual interactions between the healthcare team and decedents' family members in the last 5 days of life | Mean | Standard Deviation | Number of interactions |
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| ICU admission | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Intubation | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Decedent age | Mean | Standard Deviation | years |
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| Decedent sex | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Death disposition | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Days in hospital | Mean | Standard Deviation | days |
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| Participant education | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Participant marital status | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| OG001 | Non-Virtual Support Group Arm | Family members that choose not to participate in the Virtual Support Group will be part of this non-intervention arm |
|
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| Primary | The Inventory for Complicated Grief-revised (ICG-r) Score at 12 Months Post-death | Participating FMs will have a repeat ICG-r assessment (as described for primary outcome #1) at 12 months post-death. | No participants indicated they attended a virtual support group. Of the 121 participants who completed the baseline grief assessment, 111 completed the follow-up assessment at 12-months post death. | Posted | Count of Participants | Participants | at 12 months post-death |
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| Primary | Change in ICG-r Score From 6 Months to 12 Months Post-death | The relative changes in ICG-r scores (change in mean score with SD) between 6 and 12 months of family members who participate in the VSGs vs. those who do not will be compared as a measure of the efficacy of the VSG intervention | No participants indicated they attended a virtual support group. Of the 121 participants who completed the baseline grief assessment, 111 completed the follow-up assessment at 12-months post death. | Posted | Mean | Standard Deviation | score on a scale | at 12 months post-death relative to 6 months post-death |
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| Primary | Qualitative Interviews Post-Virtual Support Group | The data for this primary outcome could not be collected due to no participants completing the virtual support group intervention. As a result, no interviews could be conducted. Interviews with family member participants upon completion of the virtual support group intervention were to be conducted to determine usefulness for family members' bereavement process. This is a qualitative method of data collection so there is no scale or score. | Not Posted | Through study completion, an average of 1 year | Participants |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| EG001 | Non-Virtual Support Group Arm | Family members that choose not to participate in the Virtual Support Group will be part of this non-intervention arm | 0 | 121 | 0 | 121 | 0 | 121 |
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