1
|
Moussa Y, Jimenez Y, Wang W, Nahar N, Ahern V, Stuart K. The Development and Evaluation of an Educational Video for Breast Cancer Patients Requiring Adjuvant Radiation Therapy. JOURNAL OF CANCER EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER EDUCATION 2024; 39:279-287. [PMID: 38388826 PMCID: PMC11102385 DOI: 10.1007/s13187-024-02408-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Patient education and informed consent are required prior to adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for early breast cancer (EBC), and include the role, rationale, potential toxicities and practicalities of the treatment process. Current education of patients about RT is verbal, in the form of a consultation by a radiation oncologist, often supplemented with print or online materials. This approach is limited by its doctor-dependency and non-standardised nature. Video education is being recognised increasingly as an opportunity to remediate this and appeal to patients' preference for visual learning. The purpose of this study was to design and produce a video as an educational adjunct for EBC patients' viewing prior to adjuvant RT, and to evaluate its acceptability through content analysis of three online focus group discussions, among ten participants with EBC requiring RT. After qualitative content analysis of the focus group transcripts, data were summarised into three main categories: (1) understanding of RT, (2) ease of engagement with the video and (3) anxiety and preparedness for RT. The 18-min video was positively received by all participants, and discussion feedback was used to inform improvements to the video. This focus group study demonstrated that the video was well understood, informative and acceptable to EBC patients in preparing them for RT. The effectiveness of the video in improving knowledge and alleviating distress in preparation for therapy will be further evaluated in an ethics-approved biphasic quasi-experimental study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Moussa
- Sydney Medical School, C24-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yobelli Jimenez
- Discipline of Medical Imaging Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Wei Wang
- Sydney Medical School, C24-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, 166-174 Hawkesbury Rd, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Najmun Nahar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, 166-174 Hawkesbury Rd, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Blacktown Cancer and Haematology Centre, Blacktown Hospital, Blacktown, NSW, Australia
| | - Verity Ahern
- Sydney Medical School, C24-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, 166-174 Hawkesbury Rd, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Kirsty Stuart
- Sydney Medical School, C24-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, 166-174 Hawkesbury Rd, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yip KC, Lai LL, Ngu ST, Chong RST, Yahya A, See MH. Exploring the health information-seeking practices of breast cancer patients in a middle-income country with a diverse ethnic population: a cross-sectional investigation. Support Care Cancer 2023; 31:593. [PMID: 37752312 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-08033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Seeking health information is an important step for cancer patients to understand their condition and facilitate treatment. It also helps them deal with the unknown and aid in recovery. Therefore, it is vital to understand the factors that drive health information-seeking behavior. This study aims to achieve that objective in a localized context by surveying 421 breast cancer patients in an urban teaching hospital. The patients were presented with a 5-point questionnaire that explored their demography, health status, information-seeking behavior, and literacy level. The prevalence of health information-seeking initiatives reported was 60%. Patients with higher education (OR 3.31; 95% CI (1.39-7.87), p = 0.01), having their own business or were self-employed (OR 4.68; 95% CI (1.03-21.24), p = 0.046), and in a Medium 40 (M40) income level (OR 2.31; 95% CI (1.09-4.88), p = 0.03) and Top 20 (T20) level were more likely to seek health information. The mean e-Health Literacy Score (eHEALS) was 28.01 ± 5.0, with healthcare professionals having the highest level of trust (mean 4.22 ± 0.79) and most useful resource score (mean 4.21 ± 0.78). Even though Google was the most popular online search tool used by respondents, most of them seldom (23.77%) or had never (34.34%) discussed the online information they found with healthcare professionals. In conclusion, it is still best for patients to appraise the sought-after information with experts to avoid misinformation and treatment delay.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kah-Chun Yip
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Lee-Lee Lai
- Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Shu- Ting Ngu
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Abqariyah Yahya
- Department of Social Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mee-Hoong See
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Breast Surgery Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Study on the implementation of sexual health education by medical and nursing staff in the Department of Breast Surgery. Asian J Surg 2022; 46:2035-2036. [PMID: 36443204 DOI: 10.1016/j.asjsur.2022.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
|
4
|
Dhillon SK, Ganggayah MD, Sinnadurai S, Lio P, Taib NA. Theory and Practice of Integrating Machine Learning and Conventional Statistics in Medical Data Analysis. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:2526. [PMID: 36292218 PMCID: PMC9601117 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12102526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The practice of medical decision making is changing rapidly with the development of innovative computing technologies. The growing interest of data analysis with improvements in big data computer processing methods raises the question of whether machine learning can be integrated with conventional statistics in health research. To help address this knowledge gap, this paper presents a review on the conceptual integration between conventional statistics and machine learning, focusing on the health research. The similarities and differences between the two are compared using mathematical concepts and algorithms. The comparison between conventional statistics and machine learning methods indicates that conventional statistics are the fundamental basis of machine learning, where the black box algorithms are derived from basic mathematics, but are advanced in terms of automated analysis, handling big data and providing interactive visualizations. While the nature of both these methods are different, they are conceptually similar. Based on our review, we conclude that conventional statistics and machine learning are best to be integrated to develop automated data analysis tools. We also strongly believe that machine learning could be explored by health researchers to enhance conventional statistics in decision making for added reliable validation measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarinder Kaur Dhillon
- Data Science & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Mogana Darshini Ganggayah
- Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 47500, Malaysia
| | - Siamala Sinnadurai
- Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Disease Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Pietro Lio
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, UK
| | - Nur Aishah Taib
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Digitization in gynecology and obstetrics in times of COVID-19: Results of a national survey. Internet Interv 2021; 26:100478. [PMID: 34786351 PMCID: PMC8580852 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In the COVID-19 pandemic, many consultations had to be cancelled, postponed, or converted to a virtual format. The use of telemedicine in the management of Women's Health Care could support doctors (tele-gynecology). This study analyses the use and perception of telemedicine applications among gynecologists in Germany. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study was based on a survey of gynecologists in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and regression analyses were performed to show correlations. RESULTS The gynecologists expect telemedicine to be used in gynecology and obstetrics. 76.4% (365/478) of the respondents rated their knowledge of telemedicine as insufficient. The majority of respondents (437/478, 91.6%) said they did not currently use telemedicine, although 67.3% (321/478) would like to do so. Obstacles to the introduction of telemedicine include the purchase of technical equipment (325/478, 68.1%), administration (305/478, 64.0%) and poor reimbursement (233/478, 48.9%). Gynecologists surveyed would prefer telemedicine to communicate directly with other doctors (388/478, 81.2%) rather than to communicate with patients (228/478, 47.8%). In the treatment phases, 73.2% (349/478) of the respondents would use telemedicine during follow-up. Half of the respondents would choose tele counseling as a specific approach to improving care (246/478, 51.5%). CONCLUSION Telemedicine in gynecology finds little use but high acceptance. The absence of a structured framework is an obstacle to effective implementation. Training courses should be introduced to improve the limited knowledge in the use of telemedicine. More research in tele-gynecology is needed. These include large-scale randomized controlled trials, economic analyses and the exploration of user preferences.
Collapse
|
6
|
Telemedicine as a Therapeutic Option in Sports Medicine: Results of a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study among Physicians and Patients in Germany. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18137110. [PMID: 34281045 PMCID: PMC8297228 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Background: Worldwide, the number of treatments in the field of sports medicine is increasing. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyday life. Many consultations had to be cancelled, postponed, or converted to a virtual format. Telemedicine in sports medicine could support physicians. This study analyzes the use and perception of telemedicine applications among physicians and patients in the field of sports medicine in Germany. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was based on a survey of sports medicine physicians and patients in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: We analyzed the responses of 729 patients and 702 sports medicine physicians. Most believed that telemedicine is useful. Both physicians and patients rated their knowledge of telemedicine as unsatisfactory. The majority of respondents said they do not currently use telemedicine but would like to do so. Patients and physicians reported that their attitude had changed positively towards telemedicine and that their usage had increased due to COVID-19. The majority in both groups agreed on implementing virtual visits in stable disease conditions. Telemedicine was considered helpful for follow-up monitoring and prevention by both groups. Conclusion: Telemedicine in sports medicine has seen limited use but is highly accepted among physicians and patients alike. The absence of a structured framework is an obstacle to effective implementation. Training courses should be introduced to improve the limited knowledge regarding the use of telemedicine. More research in telemedicine in sports medicine is needed. This includes large-scale randomized controlled trials, economic analyses and explorations of user preferences.
Collapse
|