Immediate versus delayed self-reporting of symptoms and side effects during chemotherapy: Does timing matter?

Coolbrandt, Annemarie; Heede, Koen Van den; Vanhove, Ellen; Bom, Ann De; Milisen, Koen; Wildiers, Hans

doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2010.06.010

Cited by 53 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…There is evidence to suggest that patients receiving anti‐cancer therapy may under‐report symptoms because of the belief that symptoms are inevitable or because of fear that reporting toxicity or symptomatic deterioration may result in early cessation of treatment (Coolbrandt et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…All of the studies discussed and the systematic review by Kotronoulas et al (2014) assessed the impact of studies administering the questionnaires to patients during treatment. There is evidence to suggest that patients receiving treatment may under-report symptoms because of the belief that symptoms are inevitable or because of fear that reporting toxicity or symptomatic deterioration may result in early cessation of treatment (Coolbrandt et al 2011). Therefore, this study was designed to examine the impact of administering a questionnaire to patients not receiving treatment on improving QoL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A randomised assessment of the use of a quality of life questionnaire with or without intervention in patients attending a thoracic cancer clinic

et al. 2015

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The study examined the impact of using a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire during a clinic to identify QoL issues and to improve QoL. 138 patients were randomised (1:1:1) to either (1) an Intervention group that completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Core Quality of Life Questionnaire and Lung Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC13) at baseline and received feedback during a clinic, (2) an Attention group that completed the questionnaire at baseline without feedback and (3) a Control group that did not complete the questionnaire. All patients completed the same questionnaire 6 weeks later and a contact diary during the study period. There was a significant difference between the Intervention and Control groups for the mean number of QoL issues identified at baseline (4.69 vs. 2.81, P = 0.006) and the mean number of actions taken (4.41 vs. 2.46, P = 0.004). At 6 weeks, there was no difference between the groups in global QoL (Intervention vs. Control group, P = 0.596; Attention vs. Control, P = 0.973). The results suggest that the completion of the EORTC QLQ-C30 LC13 with feedback improves communication and increases the number of QoL issues identified and actions taken. However, the intervention does not impact on QoL per se. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01213745.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A randomised assessment of the use of a quality of life questionnaire with or without intervention in patients attending a thoracic cancer clinic

et al. 2015

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“…Barriers to communication in the oncology setting have been identified and include 1) clinician-oriented verbal behaviors: use of close-ended (versus open-ended) queries and interruptions of patient symptom descriptions [5,6], changing the subject after a patient verbally reports an SxQOL; [7] 2) clinician beliefs that quality of life issues are other clinicians' responsibility [8], 3) patient-oriented issues: reluctance to verbalize problems [9], recall of SxQOL experiences in between visits [10], and 4) time limitations during the visit [11]. When clinicians are unaware of SxQOL, particularly treatment-related toxicities, there is danger of higher morbidity and even mortality related to unintentional over-dosing [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The electronic self report assessment and intervention for cancer: promoting patient verbal reporting of symptom and quality of life issues in a randomized controlled trial

et al. 2014

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BackgroundThe electronic self report assessment - cancer (ESRA-C), has been shown to reduce symptom distress during cancer therapy The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate aspects of how the ESRA-C intervention may have resulted in lower symptom distress (SD).MethodsPatients at two cancer centers were randomized to ESRA-C assessment only (control) or the Web-based ESRA-C intervention delivered to patients’ homes or to a tablet in clinic. The intervention allowed patients to self-monitor symptom and quality of life (SxQOL) between visits, receive self-care education and coaching to report SxQOL to clinicians. Summaries of assessments were delivered to clinicians in both groups. Audio-recordings of clinic visits made 6 weeks after treatment initiation were coded for discussions of 26 SxQOL issues, focusing on patients’/caregivers’ coached verbal reports of SxQOL severity, pattern, alleviating/aggravating factors and requests for help. Among issues identified as problematic, two measures were defined for each patient: the percent SxQOL reported that included a coached statement, and an index of verbalized coached statements per SxQOL. The Wilcoxon rank test was used to compare measures between groups. Clinician responses to problematic SxQOL were compared. A mediation analysis was conducted, exploring the effect of verbal reports on SD outcomes.Results517 (256 intervention) clinic visits were audio-recorded. General discussion of problematic SxQOL was similar in both groups. Control group patients reported a median 75% of problematic SxQOL using any specific coached statement compared to a median 85% in the intervention group (p = .0009). The median report index of coached statements was 0.25 for the control group and 0.31 for the intervention group (p = 0.008). Fatigue, pain and physical function issues were reported significantly more often in the intervention group (all p < .05). Clinicians' verbalized responses did not differ between groups. Patients' verbal reports did not mediate final SD outcomes (p = .41).ConclusionsAdding electronically-delivered, self-care instructions and communication coaching to ESRA-C promoted specific patient descriptions of problematic SxQOL issues compared with ESRA-C assessment alone. However, clinician verbal responses were no different and subsequent symptom distress group differences were not mediated by the patients' reports.Trial registrationNCT00852852; 26 Feb 2009

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“…Instead of asking patients to report on their symptoms at clinic visits, a better model for high-quality palliative care may be to ask cancer patients to report on their symptoms at home in between visits . We know that recall biases start as soon as a few days [26, 27], and thus symptom reporting at visits may mean that symptoms are missed or underreported. Additionally, clinicians and healthcare teams generally underestimate patients’ symptoms [28–30], suggesting that a more standardized approach to symptom assessment is warranted.…”

Section: Shifting Toward a Palliative Care Model Where Symptoms Are Amentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential Role of Symptom Questionnaires in Palliative and Supportive Cancer Care Delivery

Stover

Basch

2017

Curr Oncol Rep

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Purpose of Review The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) palliative care recommendations have been updated into a full guideline. Symptom questionnaires—completed and reviewed with patients during care delivery—are poised to play a large role in this guideline because they provide a more comprehensive understanding of symptoms. This article provides an overview of the guideline and describes how symptom questionnaires can be used to satisfy the guideline. Recent Findings Standardized symptom questionnaires can be used for three purposes in care delivery: symptom management, referral to specialty palliative and supportive care, and to assess high-quality care. Challenges include necessary changes to clinic workflow to collect patient responses and respond to electronic alerts for worsening symptoms. Summary Symptom questionnaires administered as part of routine care delivery are highly informative and worth the time to enhance symptom management in routine care, to increase referrals, and to standardize performance metrics.

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Immediate versus delayed self-reporting of symptoms and side effects during chemotherapy: Does timing matter?

Cited by 53 publications

References 22 publications

A randomised assessment of the use of a quality of life questionnaire with or without intervention in patients attending a thoracic cancer clinic

A randomised assessment of the use of a quality of life questionnaire with or without intervention in patients attending a thoracic cancer clinic

The electronic self report assessment and intervention for cancer: promoting patient verbal reporting of symptom and quality of life issues in a randomized controlled trial

The Potential Role of Symptom Questionnaires in Palliative and Supportive Cancer Care Delivery

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