Internet Support for Cancer Patients

NCT ID: NCT00710658

Last Updated: 2013-05-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

325 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2006-05-31

Study Completion Date

2008-11-30

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Cancer Breast Cancer Prostate Cancer

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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1

Patients had 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 to a communication area where patients could ask questions to a clinical nurse specialist in cancer care and exchange experiences with other cancer patients.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

WebChoice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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

2

The control group receiving usual care

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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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

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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Internet support

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Above 18 years
* Starting or currently undergoing treatment for breast or prostate cancer
* Internet access at home

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients who had received radiation on the brain as this may have affected their abilities to reliably report their symptoms.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Norwegian Cancer Society

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Oslo University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Cornelia Ruland

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Cornelia M Ruland, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet

Locations

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Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet

Oslo, , Norway

Site Status

Countries

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Norway

References

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Ruland CM, Andersen T, Jeneson A, Moore S, Grimsbo GH, Borosund E, Ellison MC. Effects of an internet support system to assist cancer patients in reducing symptom distress: a randomized controlled trial. Cancer Nurs. 2013 Jan-Feb;36(1):6-17. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e31824d90d4.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22495503 (View on PubMed)

Ruland CM, Maffei RM, Borosund E, Krahn A, Andersen T, Grimsbo GH. Evaluation of different features of an eHealth application for personalized illness management support: cancer patients' use and appraisal of usefulness. Int J Med Inform. 2013 Jul;82(7):593-603. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2013.02.007. Epub 2013 Mar 16.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23507561 (View on PubMed)

Borosund E, Cvancarova M, Ekstedt M, Moore SM, Ruland CM. How user characteristics affect use patterns in web-based illness management support for patients with breast and prostate cancer. J Med Internet Res. 2013 Mar 1;15(3):e34. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2285.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23454601 (View on PubMed)

Grimsbo GH, Ruland CM, Finset A. Cancer patients' expressions of emotional cues and concerns and oncology nurses' responses, in an online patient-nurse communication service. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Jul;88(1):36-43. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2012.01.007. Epub 2012 Feb 11.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22326865 (View on PubMed)

Grimsbo GH, Finset A, Ruland CM. Left hanging in the air: experiences of living with cancer as expressed through E-mail communications with oncology nurses. Cancer Nurs. 2011 Mar-Apr;34(2):107-16. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e3181eff008.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 20921887 (View on PubMed)

Andersen T, Ruland CM. Cancer patients' questions and concerns expressed in an online nurse-delivered mail service: preliminary results. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009;146:149-53.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 19592825 (View on PubMed)

Ruland CM, Jeneson A, Andersen T, Andersen R, Slaughter L, Bente-Schjodt-Osmo, Moore SM. Designing tailored Internet support to assist cancer patients in illness management. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2007 Oct 11;2007:635-9.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 18693913 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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NCS 06067/001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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