Protocol for the Implementation and Assessment of “MoodUP”: A Stepped Care Model Assisted by a Digital Platform to Accelerate Access to Mental Health Care for Cancer Patients Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frasquilho, Diana; Matias, Ricardo; Grácio, Jaime; Sousa, Berta; Ferreira, Florbela; Leal, J. B.; Cardoso, Fátima; Oliveira‐Maia, Albino J.

doi:10.3390/ijerph18094629

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Regarding these aspects, patients with cancer have been affected to a great extent by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 8 , 9 ]. As well as enduring psychosocial distress, cancer patients are confronted with two additional issues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alexander

Fung

Eichler

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) substantially affects cancer patients due to adverse outcomes and disruptions in cancer care. Recent studies have indicated the additional stress and anxiety burden arising from the pandemic and impairing quality of life in this vulnerable group of patients. However, patients with cancer represent a heterogenous group. Therefore, we conducted a study on patients with pancreatic cancer, requiring demanding surgical interventions and chemotherapy regimens due to its aggressive tumor biology, to explore the pandemic’s impact on quality of life within this homogenous cohort. Methods: In a descriptive observational study, the quality of life of patients who had undergone pancreatic surgery for tumor resection at our institution between 2014 and the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 was assessed. For HRQoL measurement, we used the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), comparing their situation before the pandemic and since its beginning. An additional self-developed questionnaire was applied to assess the life circumstances during the pandemic. Results: Our cohort included 26 patients. Scores from the survey in HRQoL revealed no significant changes over time between before and during the pandemic. A medium deterioration in HRQoL was apparent in social functioning, as well as a small deterioration in role functioning and emotional functioning. Worries concerning a potential impact of COVID-19 on personal health were expressed. Psychological limitations in QoL were mainly attributed to the pandemic, whereas physical limitations in QoL were rather associated with the underlying disease of pancreatic cancer. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is causing considerable social and emotional distress among pancreatic cancer patients. These patients will benefit from psychological support during the pandemic and beyond. Long-time survivors of pancreatic cancer, such as those included in our cohort, appear to have improved resilience facing the psychosocial challenges of the pandemic. For pancreatic cancer, surgical care is considered the cornerstone of treatment. Prolonged delays in healthcare cause serious damage to mental and physical health. To date, the longer-term clinical consequences are not known and can only be estimated. The potential tragic outcome for the vulnerable group of pancreatic cancer patients highlights the urgency of timely healthcare decisions to be addressed in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alexander

Fung

Eichler

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Recently, Frasquilho et al . (2021) proposed a four stream, stepped care MHT tool for use in people receiving treatment for cancer. Several novel approaches utilize emerging digital technology including machine learning (Anmella et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2021; Frasquilho et al . 2021; National Primary Health Network 2019), electronic medical records (EMR) (Jackson et al . 2021; Li et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other tools have been developed and implemented in special population groups including pregnant women (Yu et al 2015), children, and adolescents (Ayliffe et al 2005;Downey et al 2015;Freedman et al 2020;Jackson et al 2021;Naviaux 2018;Schreiber et al 2014;Smith & Hadorn 2002), elderly people (Dyer et al 2008), military personnel (Jones & Greenberg 2015), and forensic populations (Freestone et al 2015). Recently, Frasquilho et al (2021) proposed a four stream, stepped care MHT tool for use in people receiving treatment for cancer. Several novel approaches utilize emerging digital technology including machine learning (Anmella et al 2021;Fernando & Henskens 2015;Singh et al 2018), electronic decision support aids (Anmella et al 2021;Davenport et al 2021;Frasquilho et al 2021;National Primary Health Network 2019), electronic medical records (EMR) (Jackson et al 2021;Li et al 2016;Manca 2015), and online forum monitoring (Cohan et al 2017) as tools to aid in triage processes.…”

Section: Use Of Mental Health Triage Tools In Other Care Settingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental health triage tools: A narrative review

Watson

Tindall

Patrick

et al. 2022

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Mental Health Triage (MHT) tools may be defined as any clinician administered scale that specifies psychiatric signs or symptoms, proposes a corresponding service response, and determines priority categories based on the level of perceived acuity. Multiple MHT tools are used across different jurisdictions and care settings. This article summarizes the literature on MHT tools, describes the available tools and the supportive evidence, evaluates the impact and clinical applications, and compares their strengths and weaknesses. This review utilized a systematic review process to identify articles examining MHT tools. Several benefits of using MHT tools are described; however, in general, the supportive evidence for their use is lacking. A modified Australasian Triage Scale has the strongest evidence base for use in emergency settings; however, further data are needed to establish improved outcomes. There is limited evidence for the use of MHT tools in ambulatory or primary care settings. No evidence was found supporting any one tool as effective in guiding service responses across the entire clinical spectrum. Future research could focus on developing and evaluating MHT tools that service all levels of illness presentation. Additionally, more robust studies are required to support the use of MHT tools in emergency settings. Finally, there is an impetus for the development and evaluation of MHT tools in ambulatory, community, and primary care settings.

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“…Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the healthcare digital transition due to the rapid adoption of advanced digital solutions and technology tools by healthcare organizations in response to the global crisis to mitigate its impact on both individuals and health systems [ 15 , 16 ]. In clinical practice, in the last few years, several digital platforms have been studied and implemented for the management of treatment and well-being of cancer patients [ 17 , 18 ], or in the management of other non-communicable diseases [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], striving for safety and quality of care [ 23 ]. However, the adoption of digital tools in patient management within multidisciplinary teams is something that is still little considered [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An IT Platform Supporting Rectal Cancer Tumor Board Activities: Implementation Process and Impact Analysis

Specchia

Pilla

Gambacorta

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Colorectal cancer (RC) is the third most common cancer, with an increasing incidence in recent years. Digital health solutions supporting multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) could improve positive outcomes for RC patients. This paper describes the implementation process of a digital solution within the RC-MTB and its impact analysis in the context of the Fondazione Policlinico ‘A. Gemelli’ in Italy. Adopting a two-phase methodological approach, the first phase qualitatively describes each phase of the implementation of the IT platform, while the second phase quantitatively describes the analysis of the impact of the IT platform. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed for all variables, with a p-value < 0.05 being considered statistically significant. The implementation of the platform allowed more healthcare professionals to attend meetings and resulted in a decrease in patients sent to the RC-MTB for re-staging and further diagnostic investigations and an increase in patients sent to the RC-MTB for treatment strategies. The results could be attributed to the facilitated access to the platform remotely for specialists, partly compensating for the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the integration of the platform into the hospital’s IT system. Furthermore, the early involvement of healthcare professionals in the process of customizing the platform to the specific needs of the RC-MTB may have facilitated its use and contributed to the encouraging quantitative results.

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Protocol for the Implementation and Assessment of “MoodUP”: A Stepped Care Model Assisted by a Digital Platform to Accelerate Access to Mental Health Care for Cancer Patients Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 6 publications

References 45 publications

Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mental health triage tools: A narrative review

An IT Platform Supporting Rectal Cancer Tumor Board Activities: Implementation Process and Impact Analysis

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