Co-producing a Hospice Intimacy Support Toolkit to Enable Intimacy Needs Conversations in England
| Registry | NCT07737145, acronym IN-TALK |
|---|---|
| Status | Not yet recruiting |
| Study type | Observational |
| Enrollment | 794 (Estimated) |
| Sponsor | Dorothy House Hospice (Other); collaborators: St Oswald's Hospice, University of the West of England, Bristol, National Institute for Health and Care Research |
| Conditions | Communication About Intimacy Needs in Hospice and Palliative Care |
| Interventions | Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops (Behavioral) |
| Dates | start 2026-11-01 (estimated), primary completion 2028-04-30 (estimated), completion 2028-05-31 (estimated), first posted 2026-07-30, last updated 2026-07-30 |
Related Papers Related Patents Related Grants Related Experts
All trials for Communication About Intimacy Needs in Hospice and Palliative Care All trials of Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops
People receiving hospice care may experience concerns about intimacy, closeness and physical affection that can affect their quality of life and wellbeing. However, healthcare professionals often report feeling uncertain about how to initiate or respond to conversations about intimacy needs. This can result in unmet needs and missed opportunities to provide holistic, person-centred care.
The aim of the IN-TALK study is to co-produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit to support healthcare professionals in initiating and responding to conversations about intimacy needs with people receiving hospice care in England.
This prospective mixed methods observational study uses Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) as its co-production methodology to develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit. Findings from the surveys will inform a series of co-production workshops involving hospice service users and healthcare professionals. Together, participants will co-produce the content and design of a hospice intimacy support toolkit to support person-centred care in hospice services across England.
IN-TALK is a 24-month prospective mixed methods observational study which uses Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) as its co-production methodology to develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit. The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference NIHR209649).
The study aims to co-produce an evidence-informed hospice intimacy support toolkit to support healthcare professionals in initiating and responding to conversations about intimacy needs with people receiving hospice care in England.
The study comprises two interconnected work packages. Cross-sectional surveys of hospice service users and healthcare professionals will generate evidence to inform Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, through which participants will co-produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit.
Work Package 1 will undertake cross-sectional surveys of hospice healthcare professionals and hospice service users in England. The surveys will explore experiences of intimacy needs conversations, perceived barriers and facilitators, confidence, education and training needs, and priorities for improving support within hospice care. Survey findings will be analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of free-text responses where appropriate.
Work Package 2 will use Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) methodology to bring together hospice service users and healthcare professionals in a series of co-production workshops. Workshop participants will review the findings from Work Package 1, identify priorities for improvement and collaboratively design the content, format and implementation considerations for a hospice intimacy support toolkit. Workshops will be delivered in two face-to-face locations and one online workshop to maximise accessibility and participation.
The study will produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit intended to support healthcare professionals to address intimacy needs as part of holistic, person-centred hospice care. No investigational medicinal products, medical devices or experimental interventions will be evaluated. Participants will continue to receive usual hospice care throughout the study.
| Arm | Type | Interventions | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospice service users | Behavioral: Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops | Adults receiving hospice care in England who meet the study eligibility criteria and participate in the survey, the Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, or both, to inform the hospice intimacy support toolkit. | |
| Healthcare professionals | Behavioral: Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops | Healthcare professionals working within hospice services in England who meet the study eligibility criteria and participate in the survey, the Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, or both, to inform the hospice intimacy support toolkit. |
Sex: All, ages: 18 Years to any, accepts healthy volunteers
Inclusion Criteria: Hospice service users: Aged 18 years or over. Hospice service users: Patients, partners, loved ones and bereaved people who are receiving, or have received, care or support services from hospices in England. Hospice service users: Able to understand and communicate in spoken and written English, independently or with the support of an interpreter. Hospice service users: Able and willing to provide informed consent. Healthcare professionals: Registered or non-registered healthcare professionals currently working within hospices in England involved in patient care and support. Healthcare professionals: Aged 18 years or over. Healthcare professionals: Able and willing to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: Hospice service users: Cognitive impairment that impedes communication. Healthcare professionals: Registered and non-registered Healthcare professionals currently working outside of hospices; and England.