Internet Support for Cancer Patients

Summary

Cancer patients often experience multiple physical, functional and psychosocial symptoms, but have limited support while being at home between treatments and during rehabilitation. WebChoice is a novel Internet support system that extends traditional health services into patients' homes. The system allows patients to monitor symptoms over time, and provides access to evidence-based self-management options tailored to their reported symptoms as well as a communication area where patients can ask questions to a clinical nurse specialist in cancer care and exchange experiences with other cancer patients.

This randomized clinical trial:

1. Tests the effects of WebChoice on primary outcomes of symptom distress, quality of life, depression and health service use, and secondary outcomes of self-efficacy, social support . We will also analyze:
2. Relationships between primary and secondary outcomes;
3. How patients' symptom distress varies over time;
4. Patients' preferences for participation in decision making about symptom management
5. How patients use WebChoice, such as frequency of use, duration, most used components;
6. How patients' experience WebChoice's usefulness and ease of use;
7. Patterns and content of patients' communication with the cancer nurse and other patients.

325 cancer patients (189 breast cancer and 136 prostate cancer patients) were recruited from throughout Norway through advertisements and invitation letters and the Norwegian Cancer Registry. Patients were randomly assigned to WebChoice or the control group that received usual care. Patients are being followed with 5 repeated measures over 12 months. Data are being collected through questionnaires, from system logs, and from interviews that were conducted in subset of experimental group patients. The primary hypothesis will be tested with Repeated Measures ANCOVA techniques. The other research questions will be answered using various inferential and descriptive techniques and through content analysis of messages and transcripts of patient interviews. This study can make a significant contribution to reduce unnecessary suffering and improve the quality of life for a large group of cancer patients.

Conditions

• Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Prostate Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

WebChoice

Patients in the experimental group had over the study period access to the Internet support system WebChoice that allowed them to monitor symptoms over time, and provided access to evidence-based self-management options tailored to their reported symptoms as well as a communication area where patients could ask questions to a clinical nurse specialist in cancer care and exchange experiences with other cancer patients. Patients in the control group received usual care

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Norwegian Cancer Society

  collaborator OTHER

• Oslo University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Cornelia M Ruland, PhD · Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2006-05-31

Primary Completion

2008-08-31

Completion

2008-11-30

Countries

• Norway

Study Locations