Buccal and sublingual vaccine delivery

Drug Delivery Technolog

Body changes after cancer: female cancer patients’ perceived social support and their perspective on care

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate among female cancer patients their perceived social support from health care professionals (HCPs), family and friends, and public media, and their perspective on care concerning body changes. Methods: A study-specific questionnaire was completed by 235 female cancer patients. Descriptive statistics were used to describe social support and perspective on care. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between social support and sociodemographic and clinical factors, psychosocial impact, and importance of appearance. Results: More than half of the patients received sufficient support from HCPs (54%) and family and friends (55%), and a third from the media (32%). Higher educated patients and those who found appearance not important during illness perceived lower support from HCPs. Patients without a partner, and those with a surgical treatment only, perceived lower support from family and friends. Patients who were older, higher educated, without a partner, and those who found appearance not important during illness perceived lower support from the media. In total, 15–50% of the patients received sufficient care for different domains of body changes. Patients expressed the highest need for psychological support (28%) and nutrition (28%). Conclusions: Half of the female cancer patients reported to receive sufficient social support concerning body changes after cancer. Perceived support depended on age, education, relationship status, and treatment modality. The need for more care was moderate

‘Oncokompas’, a web-based self-management application to support patient activation and optimal supportive care: a feasibility study among breast cancer survivors.

Background: Cancer survivors have to deal with symptoms related to cancer and its treatment. In Oncokompas, cancer survivors monitor their quality of life by completing patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), followed by personalized feedback, self-care advice, and supportive care options to stimulate patient activation. The aim of this study was to investigate feasibility and pretest–posttest differences of Oncokompas including a newly developed breast cancer (BC) module among BC survivors. Material and methods: A pretest–posttest design was used. Feasibility was investigated by means of adoption, usage, and satisfaction rates. Several socio-demographic and clinical factors, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were explored that might be associated with patient satisfaction. Barriers and facilitators of Oncokompas feasibility were investigated by evaluating nurse consultation reports. Differences in patient activation (Patient Activation Measure) and patient-physician interaction (Perceived Efficacy in Patient–Physician Interactions) before and after Oncokompas use were investigated. Results: In total, 101 BC survivors participated. Oncokompas had an adoption rate of 75%, a usage rate of 75–84%, a mean satisfaction score of 6.9 (range 0–10) and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of −36 (range −100–100) (N = 68). The BC module had a mean satisfaction score of 7.6. BC survivors who received surgery including chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were significantly more satisfied with Oncokompas than BC survivors with surgery alone (p = .013). Six facilitators and 10 barriers of Oncokompas feasibility were identified. After using Oncokompas, BC survivors scored significantly higher on patient activation (p = .007; r = .24), but not on patient-physician interaction (p = .75). Conclusion: Oncokompas including a BC module is considered feasible, but needs further optimization to increase user satisfaction. This study shows the value of tailoring eHealth applications for cancer survivors to their specific tumor type. Oncokompas including the BC module seems to improve patient activation among BC survivors

Adoption and implementation of a web-based self-management application “Oncokompas” in routine cancer care: a national pilot study

Purpose: A web-based self-management application “Oncokompas” was developed to monitor health-related quality of life and to support cancer survivors in finding and obtaining optimal supportive care. Access to this application is provided via a healthcare professional (HCP). The aim of this study was to explore the adoption and implementation of Oncokompas in routine clinical practice and to obtain insights in potentially relevant determinants of implementation. Methods: A pilot study was carried out among 65 hospitals throughout The Netherlands. HCPs filled out a questionnaire on the implementation of Oncokompas in their organization, consisting of study specific items and items based on the Measurement Instrument for Determinants of Innovations (MIDI). The MIDI comprises 29 determinants in four domains that predict the use of innovations: the innovation itself (Oncokompas), the user (HCP), the organization (hospital), and socio-political context. Results: In total, 20/65 eligible hospitals agreed to implement Oncokompas (adoption rate 31%). In these 20 adopting hospitals, the majority of the responding HCPs (72/205) in this study (44/61) indicated their patients were offered access to Oncokompas (implementation rate 72%). Comparing those HCPs who did and did not implement Oncokompas, the groups differed significantly on innovation-related (procedural clarity, complexity) and user-related determinants (importance of outcome expectations, professional obligation, social support, and self-efficacy). Conclusions: During this 1-year study, nationwide adoption rate of Oncokompas was at 31%, and subsequent implementation rate was at 72%. The results of this study contribute to further optimize interventions and strategies to adopt and implement (online) self-management applications in cancer care

A guided self-help intervention targeting psychological distress among head and neck cancer and lung cancer patients: motivation to start, experiences and perceived outcomes

Background: Recent results of a randomized clinical trial showed that a guided self-help intervention (based on problem-solving therapy) targeting psychological distress among head and neck cancer and lung cancer patients is effective. This study qualitatively explored motivation to start, experiences with and perceived outcomes of this intervention. Methods: Data were collected from semi-structured interviews of 16 patients. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed individually by two coders and coded into key issues and themes. Results: Patients participated in the intervention for intrinsic (e.g. to help oneself) and for extrinsic reasons (e.g. being asked by a care professional or to help improve health care). Participants indicated positive and negative experiences with the intervention. Several participants appreciated participating as being a pleasant way to work on oneself, while others described participating as too confrontational. Some expressed their disappointment as they felt the intervention had brought them nothing or indicated that they felt worse temporarily, but most participants perceived positive outcomes of the intervention (e.g. feeling less distressed and having learned what matters in life). Conclusions: Cancer patients have various reasons to start a guided self-help intervention. Participants appreciated the guided self-help as intervention to address psychological distress, but there were also concerns. Most participants reported the intervention to be beneficial. The results suggest the need to identify patients who might benefit most from guided self-help targeting psychological distress and that interventions should be further tailored to individual cancer patients’ requirements

‘Oncokompas’, a web-based self-management application to support patient activation and optimal supportive care: a feasibility study among breast cancer survivors

<p><b>Background:</b> Cancer survivors have to deal with symptoms related to cancer and its treatment. In Oncokompas, cancer survivors monitor their quality of life by completing patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), followed by personalized feedback, self-care advice, and supportive care options to stimulate patient activation. The aim of this study was to investigate feasibility and pretest–posttest differences of Oncokompas including a newly developed breast cancer (BC) module among BC survivors.</p> <p><b>Material and methods:</b> A pretest–posttest design was used. Feasibility was investigated by means of adoption, usage, and satisfaction rates. Several socio-demographic and clinical factors, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were explored that might be associated with patient satisfaction. Barriers and facilitators of Oncokompas feasibility were investigated by evaluating nurse consultation reports. Differences in patient activation (Patient Activation Measure) and patient-physician interaction (Perceived Efficacy in Patient–Physician Interactions) before and after Oncokompas use were investigated.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> In total, 101 BC survivors participated. Oncokompas had an adoption rate of 75%, a usage rate of 75–84%, a mean satisfaction score of 6.9 (range 0–10) and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of −36 (range −100–100) (<i>N</i> = 68). The BC module had a mean satisfaction score of 7.6. BC survivors who received surgery including chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were significantly more satisfied with Oncokompas than BC survivors with surgery alone (<i>p</i> = .013). Six facilitators and 10 barriers of Oncokompas feasibility were identified. After using Oncokompas, BC survivors scored significantly higher on patient activation (<i>p</i> = .007; <i>r</i> = .24), but not on patient-physician interaction (<i>p</i> = .75).</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> Oncokompas including a BC module is considered feasible, but needs further optimization to increase user satisfaction. This study shows the value of tailoring eHealth applications for cancer survivors to their specific tumor type. Oncokompas including the BC module seems to improve patient activation among BC survivors.</p