Acceptability and Feasibility of a Patient Support Coordinator (PSC) Model of Serious Illness Communication in Outpatient Oncology

Background Conventional serious illness conversations (SICs) face significant barriers including clinical time constraints and limited patient-clinician rapport. We evaluated a novel model that nested SICs within non-clinician-led supportive listening delivered by a Patient Support Coordinator (PSC). This exploratory study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of this patient-led approach in outpatient oncology to support its iterative adaptation and implementation. Methods This single-arm, non-randomized pilot study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design in outpatient oncology. Acceptability was assessed through Feeling Heard and Understood (FHU) and Client Satisfaction (CSQ) surveys with a predefined threshold ≥ 12/16. Qualitative interviews with patients (n = 21) and oncologists (n = 2) provided data on intervention acceptability and implementation feasibility. Results Enrollment (90.3%) and retention (85.7%) rates surpassed feasibility targets. High acceptability was demonstrated by median scores of 13/16 for the FHU (n = 19) and 15/16 for the CSQ (n = 20). While most participants met the FHU threshold, four scored below 12 due to gendered discomfort, mismatched expectations, and perceptions that they were coping well and had no need of supportive listening. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial Registration Number: NCT07428655). Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07428655, retrospectively registered on 23 February 2026.