Preventing psychological symptoms among cancer survivors through a digital mindfulness psychoeducation program: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Cancer survivors experience challenges, that may affect their psychological well-being. Technology-based, mindfulness-based interventions have been offered to cancer survivors; however, contents do not sufficiently cover issues related to cancer and its treatments. This study protocol presents a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) that aims to examine the effectiveness of a digital mindfulness psychoeducation programme (Digital-MindCAN programme) on psychological symptoms among cancer survivors. This program contains knowledge linking to cancer-related matters, mindfulness principles and mindfulness practice, which will be delivered real-time using a videotelephony software. M ethods Eligible cancer survivors will include adults who completed curative treatments from two weeks to two years. They will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups: Digital-MindCAN programme with standard care, Palouse Mindfulness programme with standard care, and a wait-list control group. A convenience sample will be recruited from a tertiary hospital in Singapore. A target sample size will be 150 participants, with 50 participants in each group. Primary outcomes encompass objective stress and subjective stress. Secondary outcomes comprise psychological well-being, perceived relaxation, mindfulness, resilience, depression, and anxiety. Self-administered questionnaires and physiological measures will be used to collect participants’ responses. Focus group interviews will be conducted for intervention groups after the end of the eighth session. Quantitative data will be analyzed by descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance and repeated measures analysis of variance. Qualitative findings will be analyzed using a realist evaluation method. Discussion: This RCT will be the first to test the effectiveness of the technology-based, mindfulness-based intervention on cancer survivors in Singapore. Positive findings will add knowledge and inform clinical practice. Specifically, the Digital-MindCAN intervention may be offered as part of standard care for cancer survivors. Future research can be implemented and further tested the program in other healthcare institutions

Laying the Foundation foriCANmeditate: A mixed methods study protocol for understanding patient and oncologist perspectives on meditation

“…21.23294379 doi: medRxiv preprint One complementary therapy that has shown positive outcomes for patients to manage their cancer-related symptoms is meditation. (8,9) Meditation is a mind-body practice that involves focusing one's attention on the present to achieve mental clarity. As a whole, meditation can refer to several different techniques (e.g., body-centered, mindful, or contemplative) and relies on different bodily mechanisms to focus one's attention (e.g., breath, sounds, visualizations).…”

“…(14,20,25) Indeed, findings from a recent study suggest that cancer patients would prefer to use digital meditation tools that are optimized to their needs and preferences. (8,26) In particular, Huberty and colleagues revealed that cancer patients who used the commercially available Calm TM app for meditation, have expressed modifications to Calm TM to contain information about how to center on positive feelings, how to manage negative feelings associated with their cancer journey, and content that promotes movement-based activities. (26) To address this gap and provide a publicly available solution, we propose to co-design a digital meditation tool called iCANmeditate that is tailored to the specific needs of cancer patients and leverages an existing hospital-based digital platform.…”

“…Thus, this study responds to the most recent call for online meditation programs for cancer to be tailor-made for cancer patients as opposed to standard meditation digital applications. (8,26) This study protocol serves as the first step to address this gap; it outlines the rationale and procedures for understanding cancer patients' perceptions and practices of meditation as well as their experiences of how meditation may have benefited them. In tandem with the quantitative and qualitative patient data, the survey results of practicing oncologists in Canada will aid in our understanding of their prescribing practices and state of meditation knowledge.…”