Empowerment in cancer patients: Does peer support make a difference? A systematic review

Ziegler, Elâ; Hill, Jacob; Lieske, Berit; Klein, Jens; Knesebeck, Olaf von dem; Kofahl, Christopher

doi:10.1002/pon.5869

Cited by 73 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Patients in our study considered peer support a valuable type of psychosocial support, and previous research has shown it could improve patients’ psychological empowerment (e.g. increased self‐efficacy and positive coping) 49 and enable social reintegration 50 and return to work 51 . Current melanoma SSC does not include psychosocial supportive care and is mainly medically oriented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of resuming life after immunotherapy and associated survivorship care needs: a qualitative study among patients with metastatic melanoma

Kamminga

Veldt

Joosen

et al. 2022

British Journal of Dermatology

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Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved the overall survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. It is unclear how the growing group of metastatic melanoma survivors resume their lives after treatment, and which needs they have regarding survivorship care (SSC). Objectives To gain an in-depth understanding of metastatic melanoma survivors' experiences of resuming life after ICIs and their associated SSC needs. Methods A qualitative study was conducted among 20 patients with metastatic melanoma in whom ICIs had been discontinued after ongoing tumour response. One focus group (n = 9) was held, which was complemented by 11 individual interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select a variable sample in terms of sex, age, time since discontinuation of ICIs, and perceived impact of the disease. A topic guide was used to structure the (group) interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed in a thematic content analysis, using several phases of coding. Results In resuming life after ICIs, the prognosis switch often caused mixed feelings among patients, mainly because of the uncertainty about the future. Demands and expectations from self and others, persistent complaints and new problems in different life domains often make it challenging to proceed with life as it was prior to metastatic cancer. Patients indicated they needed to find a new balance, which included learning to cope with uncertainty and a changed perspective on life and close relationships. In terms of SSC needs, patients particularly stressed the need for more tailored patient information, available at one location. In addition, they emphasized the need to know who to turn to in case of questions and indicated the need for psychosocial support, also for their close relatives. Conclusions Metastatic melanoma survivors face various challenges in resuming life after ICIs and are left with several unmet SSC needs. Efforts should be focused on offering psychosocial supportive care in addition to medical care, from diagnosis onwards, taking into account the patient's close relatives. A single point of contact and personalized survivorship care plan (SCP) could be of added value in guiding them through the patient journey, which is, given its multidisciplinary nature, particularly important in melanoma care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of resuming life after immunotherapy and associated survivorship care needs: a qualitative study among patients with metastatic melanoma

Kamminga

Veldt

Joosen

et al. 2022

British Journal of Dermatology

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“…Collaboration with patient organizations may connect different patients experiencing the same issues. Peer support can create connection and empathy that will likely lead to patients feeling better and having better outcomes [38]. It was suggested that cancer patients be provided with a "cancer coach" who would provide them with a road map of their cancer journey and explain the role of different specialists they will encounter, the support they might need, and where and how to get the support needed.…”

Section: Summary Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Report from the Ready for the Next Round Thought-Leadership Roundtables on Building Resilience in Cancer Care and Control in Canada-Colorectal Cancer Canada; 2021

Farah¹,

Bizri²,

Day³

et al. 2022

Current Oncology

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(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated vulnerabilities in the Canadian health care system and exposed gaps and challenges across the cancer care continuum. Canada is experiencing significant disruptions to cancer-related services, and the impact these disruptions (delays/deferrals/cancellations) have on the health care system and patients are yet to be determined. Given the potential adverse ramifications, how can Canada’s health care systems build resilience for future threats? (2) Methods: To answer this question, CCC facilitated a series of four thought-leadership roundtables, each representing the views of four different stakeholder groups: patients, physicians, health care system leaders, and researchers. (3) Results: Six themes of strength were identified to serve as a springboard for building resilience including, (1) advancing virtual care and digital health technologies to prevent future interruptions in cancer care delivery. (2) developing real-time data metrics, data sharing, and evidence-based decision-making. (3) enhancing public–private-non-profit partnerships to advance research and strengthen connections across the system. (4) advancing patient-centricity in cancer research to drive and encourage precision medicine approaches to care. (5) investing in training and hiring a robust supply of health care human resources. (6) implementing a national strategy and infrastructure to ensure inter-provincial collaborative data sharing (4). Conclusions: A resilient health care system that can respond to shocks and threats is not an emergency system; it is a robust everyday system that can respond to emergencies.

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“…This is the support of persons who share their experiential knowledge, and/or emotional, social or practical support to others in similar conditions [ 15 ]. Peer support can be provided one-to-one or in a group, it can be professional-led or peer-led, and it can be delivered face-to-face or online [ 16 ]. Online peer support can be asynchronous (such as online discussion boards) or synchronous (through video-conferencing).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Online peer support can be asynchronous (such as online discussion boards) or synchronous (through video-conferencing). For persons with cancer, a recent review indicates that peer-led peer support has positive effects on coping, self-efficacy and cancer-related knowledge, regardless of the mode, duration and format of the intervention [ 16 ]. Most studies in this review were conducted among persons with breast cancer [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For persons with cancer, a recent review indicates that peer-led peer support has positive effects on coping, self-efficacy and cancer-related knowledge, regardless of the mode, duration and format of the intervention [ 16 ]. Most studies in this review were conducted among persons with breast cancer [ 16 ]. Despite its potential value, few studies have been conducted addressing the effectiveness of peer support among persons with advanced cancer or their relatives [ 17 – 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of the “Living with Cancer” peer self-management support program for persons with advanced cancer and their relatives: study protocol of a non-randomized stepped wedge study

et al. 2022

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Background Persons with advanced cancer and their relatives experience physical, emotional, and psychosocial consequences of the illness. Most of the time, they must deal with these themselves. While peer self-management support programs may be helpful, there is little evidence on their value for this population. We present the research protocol of our SMART study that will evaluate the effectiveness of the “Living with Cancer” peer self-management support program, aimed at improving self-management behaviors, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life of persons with advanced cancer and their relatives. Methods We will conduct a non-randomized stepped wedge study in the Netherlands. We will include 130 persons with advanced cancer and 32 relatives. Participants can choose to either start the program within 4 weeks after inclusion or after eight to 10 weeks. The “Living with Cancer” is a peer self-management support program, based on the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. It consists of six 1,5 hours video-conferencing group meetings with eight to 12 participants, preceded by two or three preparatory audio clips with supportive text per session. The program has the following core components: the learning of self-management skills (action-planning, problem-solving, effective communication, and decision-making), discussing relevant themes (e.g. dealing with pain and fatigue, living with uncertainty, and future planning), and sharing experiences, knowledge, and best practices. The primary outcome for both persons with advanced cancer and relatives is self-management behavior assessed by the subscale “constructive attitudes and approaches” of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes are other self-management behaviors, self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, symptoms, depression and anxiety, and loneliness. Participants complete an online questionnaire at baseline, and after eight and 16 weeks. After each session, they complete a logbook about their experiences. Group meetings will be video recorded. Discussion SMART aims to evaluate an innovative program building on an evidence-based self-management program. New features are its use for persons with advanced cancer, the inclusion of relatives, and the video-conferencing format for this population. The use of both quantitative and qualitative analyses will provide valuable insight into the effectiveness and value of this program. Trial registration This study was registered in the Dutch Trial Register on October 2021, identifier NL9806.

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Empowerment in cancer patients: Does peer support make a difference? A systematic review

Cited by 73 publications

References 91 publications

Experiences of resuming life after immunotherapy and associated survivorship care needs: a qualitative study among patients with metastatic melanoma

Experiences of resuming life after immunotherapy and associated survivorship care needs: a qualitative study among patients with metastatic melanoma

Report from the Ready for the Next Round Thought-Leadership Roundtables on Building Resilience in Cancer Care and Control in Canada-Colorectal Cancer Canada; 2021

Effectiveness of the “Living with Cancer” peer self-management support program for persons with advanced cancer and their relatives: study protocol of a non-randomized stepped wedge study

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