Are you the parent or legal guardian of a child aged 5 to 18 who died of a life threatening illness (LTI) in the past five years?

What is this project?

Danya International, Inc. (a health communications firm in Maryland), has developed a program, Communication Counts. Developed with funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Communication Counts is a support program to help families of children who have passed away from a life threatening illness develop the skills for open and honest communication within the family and with the healthcare team about the illness and prognosis. During support group sessions, program participants have the opportunity to interact with other parents, to watch video clips of real-life families discussing their experiences communicating with their child and medical team, and to learn and practice methods for open and honest communication.

What is the purpose of the study?

As part of developing Communication Counts, Danya is conducting a research study to test the effectiveness of the program.

What would I have to do to participate in this research study?

There will be two evaluation groups; members of the experimental group will attend three 90-minute Communication Counts group sessions (over three weeks) and complete questionnaires at two time points, and members of the control group will only complete questionnaires. After you sign up for the study, a member of the Communication Counts team will randomly assign you to a group. In thanks for their time and effort, experimental group participants will receive $250 and control group participants will receive $150 for participation.

If you are interested in learning more about this research project or enrolling in the study, please email ccinfo@danya.com, or call the Communication Counts Project Team at 240-645-1557.