Document text
Principal Investigator: Ronald K. Elswick
Organization: VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $559,138
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute
PROJECT SUMMARY
Approximately 90,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are diagnosed with cancer yearly in the United
States. AYAs with cancer experience multiple co-occurring and related symptoms from their disease and
treatment that adversely affect their day-to-day lives and are difficult to self-manage. Because undermanaged
symptoms reduce quality of life and increase symptom severity and distress, effective person-centered
symptom self-management (SS-M) is imperative for AYAs with cancer. A major barrier, however, is a lack of
effective symptom self-management interventions that are tailored to this population. The proposed study
addresses this gap by testing an intervention designed to improve SS-M behaviors in AYAs with cancer who
are in active treatment. The Computerized Symptom Capture Tool (C-SCAT) is an intervention that uses a
heuristics approach to promote AYAs’ self-awareness and insight about themselves and their symptoms and
help them visualize the ‘big picture’ of their unique symptom experience. This use of heuristics contrasts with
typical checklist approaches to symptom assessment which do not incorporate the patient’s perspective to
identify symptoms of high priority, defined as the symptoms that are most important to them, and
interrelationships among symptoms. The C-SCAT also facilitates AYAs in discussing the symptom issues that
are of greatest importance to them with a clinician and jointly developing an effective plan for SS-M. This study
is a two-group multi-site randomized controlled trial in which 126 AYAs with cancer in active treatment will be
randomly assigned to the C-SCAT intervention group or usual care control group. The specific aims are to: 1)
Determine the effects of the C-SCAT versus usual care on the primary outcomes of self-efficacy for symptom
management and symptom self-management behaviors immediately post intervention (Time 1) and at follow-
up one month later (Time 2); 2) Examine the effects of the C-SCAT versus usual care on secondary outcomes
(symptom severity, symptom distress, social function, and satisfaction with social function) immediately post
intervention (Time 1) and at follow-up one month later (Time 2); and 3) Explore the relationships of individual
factors and social determinants of health with self-efficacy for symptom management and symptom self-
management behaviors at baseline (Time 0).The long-term goal of this research is to mitigate the symptoms
that AYAs experience during cancer treatment by supporting symptom self-management. If shown to be
effective, the C-SCAT could be incorporated into clinical settings and possibly into the electronic health record
as an efficient, low-cost approach to improve symptom self-management.
Terms: <Active Follow-up><Address><Adolescent and Young Adult><Adolescent and young adult cancer patients><Adolescent and young adult cancer population><Adolescent and young adult oncology patients><Adolescent and young adults with cancer><Affect><Age><Application Context><Asthma><Awareness><Behavior><Bronchial Asthma><Cancer Treatment><Cancers><Chronic Disease><Chronic Illness><Clinical><Collaborations><Communication><Conscious><Consciousness><Data><Decision Making><Diabetes Mellitus><Diagnosis><Disease><Disorder><Distress><Economics><Education><Educational aspects><Electronic Health Record><Fatigue><Gender><Goals><Health Care Providers><Health Personnel><Healthcare Providers><Healthcare worker><Image><Individual><Informal Social Control><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Lack of Energy><Malignant Neoplasm Therapy><Malignant Neoplasm Treatment><Malignant Neoplasms><Malignant Tumor><Modeling><Nausea><Outcome><Outcome Study><Outcomes Research><Patients><Personal awareness><Population><Problem Solving><Process><Psyche structure><QOL><Quality of life><Race><Races><Randomized><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Research><Research Priority><Research Resources><Resources><Role><Self Efficacy><Self Management><Self Perception><Self Regulation><Self image><Self view><Severities><Site><Social Functioning><Social isolation><Symptoms><Tablet Computer><Testing><Time><Unconscious><Unconscious State><Unconsciousness><Underserved Population><United States><Visit><Visualization><Work><acceptability and feasibility><active followup><active method><active technique><active treatment><ages><alleviate symptom><ameliorating symptom><anti-cancer therapy><cancer among adolescent and young adults><cancer diagnosis><cancer therapy><cancer-directed therapy><care as usual><chemotherapy><chronic disorder><clinical care><clinician communication><common symptom><communicate to clinicians><communicate to providers><communicate with clinicians><communicate with doctors><communicate with providers><comparable efficacy><comparative efficacy><compare efficacy><computerized><consciousness loss><contextual factors><coping><cost><decrease symptom><design><designing><diabetes><doctor communication><economic><effective intervention><electronic health care record><electronic health medical record><electronic health plan record><electronic health registry><electronic medical health record><experience><fewer symptoms><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><function socially><functioning social><group intervention><health care personnel><health care quality><health care worker><health provider><health workforce><healthcare personnel><healthcare quality><heuristics><imaging><improve symptom><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><insight><intervention design><interventional strategy><malignancy><manage symptom><medical personnel><mental><neoplasm/cancer><person centered><pilot test><post intervention><primary outcome><provider communication><racial><racial background><racial origin><randomisation><randomization><randomized control trial><randomly assigned><reduce symptoms><relieves symptoms><satisfaction><secondary outcome><self awareness><self knowledge><skills><social health determinants><social role><symptom alleviation><symptom improvement><symptom management><symptom reduction><symptom relief><symptom self management><symptomatic improvement><tablet device><therapy design><tool><treatment as usual><treatment design><treatment provider><trial design><under served group><under served individual><under served people><under served population><underserved group><underserved individual><underserved people><usual care><usual care arm><usual care control group>