Efficacy, cost-utility and reach of an eHealth self-management application 'Oncokompas' that helps cancer survivors to obtain optimal supportive care: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundCancer survivors have to deal with a wide range of physical symptoms, psychological, social and existential concerns, and lifestyle issues related to cancer and its treatment. Therefore, it is essential that they have access to optimal supportive care services. The eHealth self-management application Oncokompas was developed to support cancer survivors with where they need to turn to for advice and guidance, as well as to increase their knowledge on the availability of optimal support. A randomised controlled trial will be conducted to assess the efficacy, cost-utility and reach of Oncokompas as an eHealth self-management application compared with care as usual among cancer survivors.Methods/designAdult cancer survivors diagnosed with breast, colorectal or head and neck cancer or lymphoma who are at 3 months to 5 years since curative treatment will be included. In total, 544 cancer survivors will be randomly assigned to the intervention group or a wait-list control group. The primary outcome measure is patient activation. Secondary outcome measures include self-efficacy, personal control, perceived patient-physician interaction, need for supportive care, mental adjustment to cancer and health-related quality of life. Furthermore, cost-utility outcomes will be assessed. Reach is defined as the percentage of cancer survivors who get access to Oncokompas within the context of this trial. Questionnaires will be administered at baseline, post-intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up.DiscussionIn this study, we will evaluate the efficacy and cost-utility of Oncokompas among cancer survivors, as well as the reach of Oncokompas. These are essential first steps in the translation of research into practice and contribute to sustainable adoption, implementation and maintenance of an evidence-based Oncokompas.Trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register identifier: NTR5774. Registered on 8 March 2016.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1952-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Measuring health-related quality of life in colorectal cancer patients: systematic review of measurement properties of the EORTC QLQ-CR29

“…The literature search was part of a larger systematic review (Prospero ID 42017057237) [ 16 ], investigating the validity of 39 PROMs measuring HRQOL of cancer patients included in an eHealth self-management application “Oncokompas” [ 17 – 21 ]. We performed a systematic search of Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, to identify studies investigating the measurement properties of these 39 PROMs, including the QLQ-CR29.…”

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

“…This study was a non-randomized single-arm exploratory study, and, therefore, results should be interpreted with caution. A randomized controlled trial is warranted and is currently ongoing [7]. Additionally, results of this study might be less generalizable since the study sample consisted of relatively young BC survivors.…”

“…There is a persistent high need for supportive care among breast cancer (BC) survivors concerning the impact of cancer and its treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [1], such as fatigue, anxiety, arm-shoulder disabilities, and menopause related concerns [2][3][4][5]. To address these symptoms, survivors need to have access to supportive care services such as psychosocial care by a health care professional or self-help interventions (e.g., targeting a healthy lifestyle) [6,7]. Although supportive care has been proven effective for a range of cancer-related symptoms [8][9][10][11], relatively few survivors benefit from it [12] and as a result, many survivors have unmet care needs [13,14].…”

What are the aims of the implementation of e-solutions in healthcare? Review of the relevant practical studies

“…Moreover, online surveys could target larger group of individuals. A few studies aimed at improving the quality of such tools [19].…”