BACKGROUND: The use of telemedicine for cancer patients is limited, particularly in Asia. These patients need to be monitored because more are being treated as outpatients, so that any treatment-related side effects can be managed. We assessed the feasibility and acceptance of a pharmacist-run tele-oncology service to monitor chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in ambulatory cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single-center, prospective study was conducted at a local cancer center. Patients' CINV symptoms were monitored through short message service (SMS) for 5 days post-chemotherapy. Feasibility was measured by patients' adherence to the service, patient satisfaction, and number of pharmacist interventions. Acceptance was measured by the accrual rate. RESULTS: The accrual rate was 37.6% (68/181 patients). Sixty patients (median age, 49.5 years) completed the study. Overall adherence was 73.3%. The majority (90.0%) were comfortable with the duration of SMS monitoring, especially adherent patients (95.5% versus 75.0%, p=0.038). Over half (61.7%) found the SMS advice useful. Twenty-two intervention calls were made by pharmacists for uncontrolled CINV. CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacist-run tele-oncology service for real-time monitoring of CINV is feasible in ambulatory cancer patients. Incorporating the monitoring of other side effects will enhance its value and acceptance by patients for post-chemotherapy symptom management.
BACKGROUND: The use of telemedicine for cancerpatients is limited, particularly in Asia. These patients need to be monitored because more are being treated as outpatients, so that any treatment-related side effects can be managed. We assessed the feasibility and acceptance of a pharmacist-run tele-oncology service to monitor chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in ambulatory cancerpatients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single-center, prospective study was conducted at a local cancer center. Patients' CINV symptoms were monitored through short message service (SMS) for 5 days post-chemotherapy. Feasibility was measured by patients' adherence to the service, patient satisfaction, and number of pharmacist interventions. Acceptance was measured by the accrual rate. RESULTS: The accrual rate was 37.6% (68/181 patients). Sixty patients (median age, 49.5 years) completed the study. Overall adherence was 73.3%. The majority (90.0%) were comfortable with the duration of SMS monitoring, especially adherent patients (95.5% versus 75.0%, p=0.038). Over half (61.7%) found the SMS advice useful. Twenty-two intervention calls were made by pharmacists for uncontrolled CINV. CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacist-run tele-oncology service for real-time monitoring of CINV is feasible in ambulatory cancerpatients. Incorporating the monitoring of other side effects will enhance its value and acceptance by patients for post-chemotherapy symptom management.
Authors: Stefan Stefanovic; Markus Wallwiener; Uros Karic; Christoph Domschke; Luka Katic; Florin-Andrei Taran; Aleksandra Pesic; Andreas Hartkopf; Peyman Hadji; Martin Teufel; Florian Schuetz; Christof Sohn; Peter Fasching; Andreas Schneeweiss; Sara Brucker Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2016-10-17 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: N Maass; F Schütz; P A Fasching; T Fehm; W Janni; S Kümmel; H-C Kolberg; D Lüftner; M Wallwiener; M P Lux Journal: Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd Date: 2015-02 Impact factor: 2.915
Authors: Joel Nathan Fishbein; Lauren Ellen Nisotel; James John MacDonald; Nicole Amoyal Pensak; Jamie Michele Jacobs; Clare Flanagan; Kamal Jethwani; Joseph Andrew Greer Journal: JMIR Res Protoc Date: 2017-04-20
Authors: Luis Margusino-Framiñán; Cecilia M Fernández-Llamazares; Eva Negro-Vega; Begoña Tortajada-Goitia; Garbiñe Lizeaga; Gabriel Mercadal-Orfila; Carmen Almeida-González; Ramón Morillo-Verdugo Journal: J Multidiscip Healthc Date: 2021-12-31
Authors: Alexandre Chan; Matin M Abdullah; Wan Zamaniah B Wan Ishak; Annielyn B Ong-Cornel; Antonio H Villalon; Ravindran Kanesvaran Journal: J Glob Oncol Date: 2016-11-09
Authors: M Aapro; P Bossi; A Dasari; L Fallowfield; P Gascón; M Geller; K Jordan; J Kim; K Martin; S Porzig Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2020-06-12 Impact factor: 3.603