Feasibility and Acceptability of Primary Palliative Care Intervention in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Primary PC - or training HCT clinicians to deliver PC domains as part of routine practice - is an alternative model of supportive care. We have developed Sentinel, a primary PC intervention for HCT clinicians and patients. This study will assess Sentinel's feasibility and acceptability.

Patients hospitalized for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) experience physical and psychological symptoms that lead to a deterioration in quality of life (QOL). Integrating specialty palliative care (PC) reduces physical and psychological symptom burden and improves QOL during HCT hospitalization. However, specialty PC remains unavailable and underused at many HCT centers. Primary PC - or training HCT clinicians to deliver PC domains as part of routine practice - is an alternative model of supportive care. We have developed Sentinel, a primary PC intervention for HCT clinicians and patients. We will train HCT clinicians to deliver PC to patients before and during HCT hospitalization. This study will assess Sentinel's feasibility and acceptability.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Undergoing autologous or allogeneic HCT at MGH Exclusion Criteria: * Prior receipt of inpatient specialty palliative care on two prior admissions in the past 6 months. * Significant uncontrolled psychiatric disorders (psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression) or other co-morbid disease (dementia, cognitive impairment), which the primary oncologist believes prohibits informed consent or ability to participate in study procedures * Inability to comprehend English as this is a preliminary/pilot study