Transitioning Care: Perspectives of Older Women With Early Breast Cancer on Current Telemedicine Modalities

NCT ID: NCT04990934

Last Updated: 2021-12-09

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

15 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-07-02

Study Completion Date

2021-10-10

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Explosive growth in the use of telemedicine (video or telephone visits) has followed the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in order to meet healthcare needs while avoiding unnecessary exposure risks in ambulatory care spaces. Accordingly, in March 2020, the Centers for Medicare \& Medicaid Services expanded reimbursement for telemedicine visits to equal that of in-person services. The policy and infrastructure that enabled this emergency transition is laying the groundwork for enduring expansion of elective telemedicine, a technology that could significantly decrease the burden of medical care in older patients with cancer. To benefit from telehealth, patients must have a certain level of knowledge and capacity to engage with technology, which can be a challenge for some older adults because of inexperience, access, and disability. As cancer is mainly a disease of older adults, with a median age of 65 at diagnosis for most cancer types, this is a significant limitation on the utility of telemedicine in oncology.

The goal of our study is to better understand older breast cancer patients' experiences with telephone and video telemedicine with regard to visit convenience, completeness, and interpersonal satisfaction through semi-structured interviews with patients.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Methods:

30 participants will be consented in this study. 20 will have participated in video telemedicine appointments with their treating breast cancer oncologists, and 10 will have used telephone. Semi-structured interviews lasting no more than 30 minutes will be conducted to ascertain the participant's (1) reason for choosing a certain telemedicine modality, (2) perception of telemedicine visit convenience, completeness, and interpersonal satisfaction compared to in-person visits, and (3) use of peripheral virtual support from healthcare team, such as messaging in MyChart. After the interview has been conducted, the patient will be asked complete the patient-reported portion of the Geriatric Assessment (GA) either through an internet link, or verbally with the research staff reading the questions and recording the answers. Data pertaining to the participant's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment will be extracted from Epic@UNC.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Breast Cancer Female Breast Cancer

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Telemedicine

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

CASE_ONLY

Study Time Perspective

RETROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Video Telemedicine

20 participants will have used video telemedicine for appointments with their treating oncologist.

Semistructured Interview

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients with breast cancer (Stage I-III) will be interviewed about their experiences of telemedicine.

Telephone Telemedicine

10 participants will have used telephone telemedicine for appointments with their treating oncologist.

Semistructured Interview

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patients with breast cancer (Stage I-III) will be interviewed about their experiences of telemedicine.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Semistructured Interview

Patients with breast cancer (Stage I-III) will be interviewed about their experiences of telemedicine.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* female
* age 65 or older
* diagnosed with early breast cancer (Stage I-III)
* completed primary treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment)
* received in-person outpatient care at North Caroline Cancer Hospital before transitioning to telemedicine after March 2020
* providing written informed consent
* able to understand and speak English.
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

110 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Caroline R Buse, MM, BA, BM

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UNC School of Medicine Student

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Sirintrapun SJ, Lopez AM. Telemedicine in Cancer Care. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2018 May 23;38:540-545. doi: 10.1200/EDBK_200141.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30231354 (View on PubMed)

Eberly LA, Kallan MJ, Julien HM, Haynes N, Khatana SAM, Nathan AS, Snider C, Chokshi NP, Eneanya ND, Takvorian SU, Anastos-Wallen R, Chaiyachati K, Ambrose M, O'Quinn R, Seigerman M, Goldberg LR, Leri D, Choi K, Gitelman Y, Kolansky DM, Cappola TP, Ferrari VA, Hanson CW, Deleener ME, Adusumalli S. Patient Characteristics Associated With Telemedicine Access for Primary and Specialty Ambulatory Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Dec 1;3(12):e2031640. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31640.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33372974 (View on PubMed)

Narasimha S, Madathil KC, Agnisarman S, Rogers H, Welch B, Ashok A, Nair A, McElligott J. Designing Telemedicine Systems for Geriatric Patients: A Review of the Usability Studies. Telemed J E Health. 2017 Jun;23(6):459-472. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2016.0178. Epub 2016 Nov 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27875667 (View on PubMed)

Rowland JH, Bellizzi KM. Cancer survivorship issues: life after treatment and implications for an aging population. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Aug 20;32(24):2662-8. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.55.8361. Epub 2014 Jul 28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25071099 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr6074

Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, HR 6074, 116th Cong (2020)

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/05/08/2020-09608/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-basic-health-program-and-exchanges-additional-policy-and-regulatory

Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Basic Health Program, and Exchanges; Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/final-policy-payment-and-quality-provisions-changes-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-calendar-year-1

Final Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2021 (December 1, 2020).

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/technology-use-among-seniors/

Pew Research Center: Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

LCCC2105

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id