Question 1

Who is eligible for the study?

Accepted Answer

To be eligible for the study, individuals must:
be 18 years or older
be a native English speaker
presently reside in the United States
be currently living with a stage IV cancer diagnosis and were diagnosed within the past three years (i.e., diagnosis received prior to September, 2019). 
be in active care for advanced cancer
be able to participate in the full research study, including use of the Healthie mobile app, weekly online coaching sessions via Zoom and complete online surveys at the beginning, middle and end of the study.
be able to provide an emergency contact who can be reached if the participant misses their 1-on-1 coaching session or does not submit a required survey
not have participated in the ComedyCures Mindset and Metastatic Cancer Research Study in 2021.
 
In addition, to be eligible for the study individuals must:
not have worked with a Certified Health Coach since their diagnosis
not currently be enrolled in hospice care
not currently diagnosed with dementia or other cognitive disability

Question 2

When does the study start and end?

Accepted Answer

Eligible participants will be notified of acceptance on a rolling basis, beginning in mid-October 2022. All participants selected for the study will be part of the study for a total of 8 weeks.

Question 3

What is the purpose of the study?

Accepted Answer

Cancer patients living with a stage IV cancer diagnosis may face many challenges that impact their quality of life. There are mental, physical, nutritional, and environmental challenges that make self-care and activities of daily living difficult and overwhelming.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a patient living with a stage IV diagnosis can experience an improvement in their quality of daily life by creating personalized goals with the guidance of a dedicated Certified Health Coach over an 8-week period.  Examples of participant goals could include 1-3 of the following: improving nutrition, a movement plan, reducing anxiety, depression & stress, improving sleep, pain management, stronger family and community engagement, weight management, and avoiding rehospitalization.

In addition, all of the participants will be exposed to strategies for developing their comic perspective to find more ways to experience joy in their daily life.

Medical Disclaimer: 
Health Coaching is for your educational purposes. It is not a substitute for actual medical care, nor is it medical advice. Before making any complex decisions for yourself or anyone else, be sure to consult a healthcare professional. 
ComedyCures Foundation does not endorse any one Health Coach certification program.

Question 4

Is the study virtual?

Accepted Answer

Yes! This study is completely virtual. The study materials and weekly one-on-one sessions with the Certified Health Coach will be accessed and completed virtually via Zoom. The study surveys will be sent to participants and completed online through the Healthie Telehealth platform, available on iOS and Android devices.

Question 5

Who is organizing this research study?

Accepted Answer

The study has been created by Saranne Rothberg, a stage IV cancer survivor and Founder of the ComedyCures Foundation, in collaboration with Dr. Claire Wheeler, MD, and Certified Health Coach Jacqui Bryan, RN, MS, CHC, WHE. The study’s funding has been provided by The Willow Foundation, founded by cancer survivor Leah Evert and Janine Klein.

Question 6

What is a Certified Health Coach?

Accepted Answer

Health Coaches can be an important healthcare partner for those battling chronic disease, as they can support the patient in lifestyle behaviors outside the doctor’s office to enhance their quality of life.

The National Society of Health Coaches describes Evidence-Based Health Coaching (EBHC) as the use of evidence-based skillful conversation, clinical strategies, and interventions to actively and safely engage clients in health behavior change to better self-manage their health, health risk, and acute and chronic conditions resulting in optimal wellness, lowered health risk, improved health outcomes and decreased health costs (https://www.nshcoa.com/)*

Health Coaches do not counsel, manage or direct patients on their medical care. Health Coaches do not diagnose disease, promise cures, or prescribe medication. It is not a substitute for actual medical care, nor is it medical advice.

*The Comedycures Foundation does not endorse any one Health Coach certification. 
Note: Before making any complex decisions for yourself or anyone else, be sure to consult a healthcare professional.

Question 7

What kind of training does a Health Coach have?

Accepted Answer

Certified Health Coaches often enter the field from a variety of other health and wellness-related fields and may be licensed healthcare providers such as nurses, dieticians, nutritionists, doctors, and physical therapists. Some health coaches have no medical training but have a passion for helping others. These coaches may have gone through a certification program to learn coaching skills and strategies.

Question 8

Is the study data HIPPA Compliant?

Accepted Answer

The Certified Health Coach in this study will be utilizing the Healthie platform, a HIPPA compliant CRM software (www.gethealthie.com).

By participating in the study, participants are providing their agreement that the study investigators and authorized study personnel may review and analyze all surveys, client records and healthcare information provided within the Healthie software CMR Client Medical and related surveys. Please note that the public findings will be de-identified by name. Profile may be presented in a case study format as part of the findings (i.e., 34 year old male with stage IV melanoma).

Question 9

Who is the Certified Health Coach providing services in this study?

Accepted Answer

Jacqui Bryan, is a Certified Health Coach and Registered Nurse. Jacqui continued her education to become a Whole Health Educator™ and earned two Masters of Science degrees, one in Functional Nutrition and the other in Health Communication. Jacqui inspires individuals and groups to harness their internal motivation for healthy behavior change utilizing her unique cross-discipline approach and proven strategies.

Jacqui is also a cancer survivor. In 2003 at the age of 37, Jacqui suffered a devastating breast cancer diagnosis that had spread to her lymph nodes. Over the course of a year, she had 6 surgeries, 8 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation and years of hormone therapy. In a desperate attempt to get healthy, she started exploring ways to heal her body through nutrition and lifestyle behavior changes. Her discoveries fueled her passion to share this message with those in need. She changed her career path and started helping others improve their quality of life.

Question 10

How much time per week do I need to spend to participate in the study?

Accepted Answer

The time commitment for participation in the study includes:
Weekly one-on-one sessions (M-F, 8a-5p) via Zoom with Certified Health Coach, Registered Nurse, Function Nutritionist
1-hour initial consultation and intake session
30-minute sessions each week for 6 consecutive weeks during October-December 2, 2022
1-hour concluding session during week 8
Please note that if you need to reschedule one of your weekly 1-on-1 Health Coaching sessions, please do so as soon as possible and at a minimum, within 24 hours of your appointment
Watch at least two on-demand videos each week (each video is under 3 minutes). The videos can be accessed through the Healthie platform.
A total of three (3) 30-minute online research surveys
The first survey is to be completed prior to the initial consultation with the Certified Health Coach
The second survey is to be completed after final coaching session at 8 weeks
An additional follow-up 30-minute online survey is to be completed 12 weeks after baseline
One optional brief assessment of satisfaction with coaching at 8 weeks
In addition, we will offer optional 20-minute Zoom sessions with stage IV cancer survivor and CEO of The ComedyCures Foundation, Saranne Rothberg. Please feel free to use this optional time to ask any questions and/or to just share a laugh.
Once accepted in the study, participants must log into the platform, and complete the client Intake form on the Healthie portal within 48 hours of acceptance into the study. 
We expect that the first 1-on-1 Health Coaching session will be held within a few days of the Health Coach receiving the Healthie client intake form.

Question 11

How do the study surveys work?

Accepted Answer

Once selected for this study, a link to the Baseline Survey will be sent to participants. The survey includes demographic questions, a brief medical history and a few questions about stress and mental health. It should take about 15 minutes to complete.
 
Participants will receive shorter surveys to complete at the midway and end points of the study. These surveys will ask the same questions about stress and mental health. We ask for this information more than once so we can best discover the impact of Health Coaching and other supportive activities that are affecting the mindset of participants.
 
The mid-way and post-study surveys should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. It is very important that participants make time to complete the assessments since this enables the researchers to get the most complete picture of the benefits of this type of support.

Question 12

How do I sign up for the study?

Accepted Answer

All interested individuals must complete our brief eligibility survey. A total of 10 individuals will be selected to participate. We will contact individuals by email who have been selected to participate.

Question 13

Who should I contact if I have other questions?

Accepted Answer

Please contact Study Coordinator with any questions at HumorBuddy@ComedyCures.org

Question 14

What will I receive?

Accepted Answer

If an individual is eligible, selected and volunteers to participate, they will receive 8 weeks of health coaching at no cost to the participant.
No cash compensation is provided for participating in this voluntary study.
A small gift will be provided for completing the 12-week follow-up survey

Our study has been completed!
We hope that you will consider completing our eligibility form and joining our study's waiting list.
We have already been asked to expand the study.

Thank you for your interest in
The Cancer Health Coach Impact Study

What is the purpose of this study?

Benefits for participants

Study Details

The Process

Register on our Study Portal

Participant Selection Criteria

The Women Behind The Study

ComedyCures Study Support

FAQs

Who is eligible for the study?

When does the study start and end?

What is the purpose of the study?

Is the study virtual?

Who is organizing this research study?

What is a Certified Health Coach?

What kind of training does a Health Coach have?

Is the study data HIPPA Compliant?

Who is the Certified Health Coach providing services in this study?

How much time per week do I need to spend to participate in the study?

How do the study surveys work?

How do I sign up for the study?

Who should I contact if I have other questions?

What will I receive?

Our study has been completed! We hope that you will consider completing our eligibility form and joining our study's waiting list. We have already been asked to expand the study.

Thank you for your interest in The Cancer Health Coach Impact Study

What is the purpose of this study?

Benefits for participants

Study Details

The Process

Register on our Study Portal

Participant Selection Criteria

The Women Behind The Study

ComedyCures Study Support

FAQs

Who is eligible for the study?

When does the study start and end?

What is the purpose of the study?

Is the study virtual?

Who is organizing this research study?

What is a Certified Health Coach?

What kind of training does a Health Coach have?

Is the study data HIPPA Compliant?

Who is the Certified Health Coach providing services in this study?

How much time per week do I need to spend to participate in the study?

How do the study surveys work?

How do I sign up for the study?

Who should I contact if I have other questions?

What will I receive?

Our study has been completed!
We hope that you will consider completing our eligibility form and joining our study's waiting list.
We have already been asked to expand the study.

Thank you for your interest in
The Cancer Health Coach Impact Study