Testing the Impact of a Cancer Survivorship Patient Engagement Toolkit on Selected Health Outcomes

Objectives To evaluate an interactive electronic Cancer Survivorship Patient Engagement Toolkit (CaS-PET) using a single-group pre-/post-test design. Sample & setting 30 cancer survivors with a mean age of 56.5 years (SD = 13.6) were recruited from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Methods & variables CaS-PET was designed to deliver survivorship care plans (SCPs) with multifactorial support and comprised of SCPs, biweekly follow-up using patient portal e-messages, and online resources. Outcomes included health-related quality of life, symptom burden, impact of cancer, fear of recurrence, physical activities, dietary behavior, patient-provider communication, adherence to treatment, and e-health literacy. Results At three months, there was a significant improvement in quality of life, physical symptom burden, and total symptom burden. Implications for nursing Findings suggest an excellent potential for using CaS-PET for survivors who are in transition from treatment to survivorship.