Evaluation and Implementation of ListeningTime: A Web-Based Preparatory Communication Tool for Elderly Patients With Cancer and Their Health Care Providers

Abstract

Background Effective patient-provider communication is an important condition to deliver optimal care and it supports patients in coping with their disease. The complex and emotionally loaded setting of oncology care challenges both health care providers (HCPs) and patients in reaching effective communication. ListeningTime is developed for elderly patients with cancer and their oncological HCPs to help them (better) prepare the clinical encounter and overcome communication barriers. ListeningTime is a Web-based preparatory communication tool including modeling videos and has an audio-facility to listen back to recorded encounters. Objective This study aims to evaluate the usability, perceived usefulness, and actual use of ListeningTime, through the eyes of elderly patients with cancer and their oncological HCPs. If highly rated, the ultimate goal is to make ListeningTime publicly available. Methods First, members of a panel of elderly cancer survivors and patients (age ≥65 years) were approached to evaluate ListeningTime through a Web-based questionnaire. The usability and perceived usefulness were assessed. Second, ListeningTime was evaluated in real-life practice through a pilot study in 3 Dutch hospitals. In these hospitals, elderly patients with cancer and their oncological HCPs were approached to evaluate ListeningTime through a similar Web-based questionnaire, measuring the perceived usefulness. In addition, we examined log files and user statistics to get insight into how the program was used. Results A total of 30 cancer survivors or patients from the patient panel, and 17 patients and 8 HCPs from the hospitals, evaluated ListeningTime. Overall, both panel members and hospital patients were positive about the ListeningTime website, audio-facility, and video fragments. Some patients suggested improvements with respect to the actors’ performances in the video fragments and believed that ListeningTime is mainly suitable for non experienced patients. HCPs were also positive about ListeningTime; they valued the video fragments for patients and the audio-facility for patients and themselves. However, providers did not relisten their own recorded encounters. Patients did use the audio-facility to relisten their encounters. Conclusions ListeningTime was highly rated, both by patients and their oncological HCPs. As a result, the video fragments of ListeningTime are now made publicly available for elderly patients with cancer through the Dutch website “kanker.nl.”

Cancer as a Chronic Illness in Colombia: A Normative Consensus Approach to Improving Healthcare Services for those Living with and beyond Cancer and Its Treatment

“…Access to information was seen as a 4th in the priorities as it influences communication and an individual’s decision-making [ 36 ]. There is a need for interventions such as adapting communication, information provision, and cancer care coordination to improve the quality of cancer care [ 37 ].…”

Comparing Survivors of Cancer in Population-Based Samples With Those in Online Cancer Communities: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study

“…Visitors can also create a profile and become members to read, start a blog, or communicate with fellow patients through chat groups and personal messages. Members of such communities or platforms are often asked to be respondents in cancer research [ 7 - 9 ]; however, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies that have systematically compared survivors of cancer with a profile in OCCs with those in population-based samples. Are the characteristics, internet use, and wishes of Dutch survivors of cancer who participate in an OCC different from a selection of survivors of cancer from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR)?…”

“…In this study, we aim to identify the differences and similarities between survivors of cancer who participate in an OCC and population-based samples of survivors of cancer who use the internet in relation to their illness. We believe it is important to know the differences between these 2 groups as many studies are based on data from survivors in the OCC group, which raises the important question of the extent to which these findings generalize to the complete population of survivors of cancer [ 7 - 9 ]. Although this is an important methodological question, it has received very little attention.…”

A Digital Substance-Use Harm Reduction Intervention for Students in Higher Education (MyUSE): Protocol for Project Development (Preprint)

“…In addition, digital interventions are more likely to be effective if their active components employ relevant mechanisms of action, such as a theoretically informed understanding of the motivations for change in their target population [40]. Digital interventions focused on enhancing health behaviors, such as harm reduction practices or substance use cessation, highlight that user involvement plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the intervention [41][42][43]. At present, few of the existing digital harm reduction interventions describe the process involved in their content development and feature selection.…”