Nurse-led telehealth interventions for symptom management in patients with cancer receiving systemic or radiation therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Innovative Applications of Telemedicine and Other Digital Health Solutions in Pain Management: A Literature Review

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems are facing extraordinary challenges. Our approaches to medicine have changed and created a whole new generation of people who have chronic pain. Various medical services were postponed. The pandemic significantly impacted the bio-psychosocial model of pain and the management of chronic pain. These new challenges affected millions of patients worldwide, with more burden on patients with chronic pain. Telemedicine and digital health rather than traditional office visits have become essential tools for communications, resulting in an unmatched surge in telehealth adoption. This new approach facilitated the remote treatment and follow-up of patients who have difficulty to access the healthcare services, particularly patients with chronic pain and those who were receiving regular controlled medications. An extensive computer search was conducted, during the period (from January 2014 to March 2024), and included literature from PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Google scholar. According to preset inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 38 articles have been included in this review article. This literature review focuses on the innovation of telemedicine and digital health in pain management, especially in the context of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of telemedicine and digital communications, their evolution, and their significance in healthcare. It also emphasizes the benefits, challenges, limitations, and the ethical concerns of telemedicine in pain management after the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the document explores the different modes of the telecommunications and discusses the future directions of the digital health technology.

Innovative Cancer Follow-Up with Telehealth: A New Method for Oncology Nurses

OBJECTIVES

Telenavigation (TN) is an innovative cancer follow-up method for oncology nurses. Little is known about the effectiveness of tele-navigation on cancer patients. This study investigated the opinions of healthcare providers (HCPs) and colorectal cancer patients' experience regarding patient follow-up with TN.

DATA SOURCES

This is a phenomenological qualitative study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with fifteen patients and eight healthcare providers. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected from March to October 2022 and analyzed by thematic content analysis.

CONCLUSION

Six themes emerged that described the experiences of TN: (1) beneficial; (2) psychological state; (3) level of knowledge, (4) technology, (5) health care system, and (6) recommendations. Patients and HCPs found TN practice helpful and reassuring and they recommended expanding these practices within the health system. As a result of the research, the TN program is described as beneficial to patients and healthcare providers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

The TN follow-up is a beneficial implication for colorectal cancer patients undergoing treatment, and it deserves to be more widely deployed. It brings reassurance regarding psychological, reliable data access, and home follow-up. Patients and HCPs reported positive views on telephone follow-up. There is a recommendation that the innovative follow-up technique should be disseminated to the healthcare system and that cancer nurses should be more familiar with this method.

Making decisions for follow-up chemotherapy based on digital patient reported outcomes data in patients with multiple myeloma and other M protein diseases - A mixed method study

OBJECTIVES

To test if Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) data can replace physical on-site consultation in determining if patients with multiple myeloma, AL amyloidosis, or plasma cell leukemia are ready for their next bortezomib treatment without dose reduction.

METHODS

We developed an online questionnaire addressing common side effects to bortezomib and an algorithm stratifying patients according to their responses and asked them to complete the questionnaire the day before attending the clinic. Applying a mixed-method study design of PRO data, time registrations, and interviews with patients and healthcare professionals, we tested the usability of electronic PRO data forming the basis of decision-making on whether patients are physically fit for the next treatment with an unchanged dose.

RESULTS

The questionnaire and the associated algorithm were able to identify patients who were physically fit for treatment without need for further consultation, with a positive predictive value of 98 %. The method proved to be feasible for all groups of patients regardless of age and educational level. Patients and healthcare professionals found the online questionnaire to be advantageous and flexible.

CONCLUSION

The use of PRO data to evaluate patients prior to bortezomib treatment is safe and feasible. Patients prefer to report their side effects themselves as it provides them with more freedom during their treatment.

Telehealth and Outcomes in Patients With Cancer: Data and Innovation

ABSTRACT

Despite that telehealth has been crucial to the delivery of oncology care during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of this care delivery mechanism on outcomes in cancer care has not been rigorously studied relative standard in-person care for patients with cancer. Patient-centered outcomes such as quality of life, patient satisfaction, and symptoms are important outcomes that have been the primary focus of many of the existing studies in this space, yet only a select few have evaluated overall survival and other objective efficacy endpoints. Studies have alluded to positive effects of telehealth on mitigating financial toxicity and enhancing cost-effective care delivery in oncology. Telehealth carries much potential for advancing care for patients with cancer, but future study should focus on additional efficacy endpoints, implementation, and ways to reduce disparities.

Efficacy of Supportive Care for Radiodermatitis in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: Supplementary Analysis of an Exploratory Phase II Trial

Self-care demonstrated efficacy in preventing severe acute radiation dermatitis among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This prospective trial aimed to confirm the feasibility and safety of transcutaneous electrical sensory stimulation while examining the relationship between changes in self-care behavior through supportive care interventions and the severity of acute radiation dermatitis during CRT. Patients underwent assessments for dermatitis grading (Grades 1 to ≥3) and were interviewed regarding self-care practices. The self-care questionnaires comprised six items, and a point was deducted for each task that the patient could not perform independently. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the association between G3 radiation dermatitis and the lowest self-care behavior scores. Of the 10 patients enrolled, three experienced G3 dermatitis. During CRT, six patients maintained their initial scores and did not develop ≥G3 dermatitis. Meanwhile, three of four patients with decreased scores exhibited ≥G3 dermatitis. The group with ≥G3 dermatitis had significantly lower scores than those with ≤G2 dermatitis, suggesting that the inability of patients to perform self-care routinely may lead to severe acute radiation dermatitis. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential of self-care interventions in preventing severe dermatitis.

Nurse-led virtual interventions in managing chronic diseases: a protocol for a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

INTRODUCTION

Technological advances are changing nursing practice; however, nurse-led virtual care for chronic disease management has not yet been adequately explored and described. This study will review and analyse the effects of nurse-led virtual services and describe the virtual intervention characteristics relevant to the scope of nursing practice in chronic disease management.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study will systematically review randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of nurse-led virtual care interventions on patients with chronic conditions. Databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang (Chinese) and VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals will be searched. All studies will be screened and selected using the criteria described in 'population, intervention, comparison, outcome and study design' format. Relevant studies will be searched using the reference lists of eligible studies and review articles. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Quality Appraisal Form. Two reviewers will independently extract data from all the included studies using a standardised data extraction form on the Covidence platform. RevMan V.5.3 software will be used to perform the meta-analysis. Data synthesis will be conducted with descriptive synthesis by summarising and tabulating the data and presenting them according to the research questions.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Formal ethical approval is not required as the data used in this systematic review are abstracted from the pre-existing literature. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022361260.

Engagement, Advance Care Planning, and Hospice Use in a Telephonic Nurse-Led Palliative Care Program for Persons Living with Advanced Cancer

Persons living with advanced cancer have intensive symptoms and psychosocial needs that often result in visits to the Emergency Department (ED). We report on program engagement, advance care planning (ACP), and hospice use for a 6-month longitudinal nurse-led, telephonic palliative care intervention for patients with advanced cancer as part of a larger randomized trial. Patients 50 years and older with metastatic solid tumors were recruited from 18 EDs and randomized to receive nursing calls focused on ACP, symptom management, and care coordination or specialty outpatient palliative care (ClinicialTrials.gov: NCT03325985). One hundred and five (50%) graduated from the 6-month program, 54 (26%) died or enrolled in hospice, 40 (19%) were lost to follow-up, and 19 (9%) withdrew prior to program completion. In a Cox proportional hazard regression, withdrawn subjects were more likely to be white and have a low symptom burden compared to those who did not withdraw. Two hundred eighteen persons living with advanced cancer were enrolled in the nursing arm, and 182 of those (83%) completed some ACP. Of the subjects who died, 43/54 (80%) enrolled in hospice. Our program demonstrated high rates of engagement, ACP, and hospice enrollment. Enrolling subjects with a high symptom burden may result in even greater program engagement.

The efficacy of telemedicine for pain management in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Pain is the most common cancer-related symptom, but it is often undertreated. Telemedicine is widely used in cancer treatment, but its effectiveness is uncertain.

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the impact of telemedicine intervention on pain in patients with cancer.

Design

Methodological quality and risk-of-bias evaluation were conducted, and the sources of heterogeneity were explored through subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis.

Data Sources and Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and clinical trial databases were searched up to 16 August 2022. Randomized controlled trials of the impact of telemedicine intervention regarding pain in patients with cancer were included, and the results related to pain were extracted.

Results

Twenty-one randomized controlled trials were selected from 1810 articles. A total of 1454 patients received telemedicine interventions, and 2213 received conventional medical services. Telemedical intervention had a positive effect on improving pain intensity [standard mean deviation (SMD) = -0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.49 to -0.06, p = 0.01] and pain interference (SMD = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.28, p < 0.00001), with statistical difference between the two groups. The subgroup analysis results showed that the telemedicine subgroup based on an application (SMD = -0.54, 95% CI: -0.91 to -0.18, p = 0.004) and the subgroup with intervention time ⩾ 6 months (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI: -0.52 to -0.13, p = 0.001), both demonstrated significant improvement regarding pain intensity, with significant statistical difference between the two groups. When the follow-up time was ⩾ 6 months, there was no significant difference (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.55 to 0.07, p = 0.13).

Conclusion

Compared with conventional medical services, telemedicine intervention can improve the pain of patients with cancer and is effective and acceptable regarding symptom monitoring. Integrating telemedicine interventions into cancer pain management may be a feasible option. But its long-term effects still need to be confirmed with more high-quality randomized controlled trials in the future.

Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; CRD42022361990.

Cancer nursing research priorities: A rapid review

PURPOSE

Identifying cancer nursing research priorities is central to influencing the direction of cancer care research. The aim of this rapid review was to explore research priorities identified by oncology nurses for cancer care delivery between 2019 and 2022.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis informed the design of the rapid review. MEDLINE, CINAHL, PUBMED, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies published between December 1st, 2018, and September 30th^, 2022. This timeframe was chosen to account for the latest relevant evidence synthesis, as well as changes in cancer care necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Quality Assessment of Diverse Studies tool was used to appraise quality.

RESULTS

Four studies met the inclusion criteria. Many of the research priorities identified were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The top cancer nursing research priority identified was the role of technology in improving patient and caregiver symptoms and health outcomes. Other most prevalent research priorities were focused on symptom management, culturally sensitive palliative and psychosocial care, early/integrated palliative care, financial toxicity, modifiable risk factors related to social determinants of health, public and patient involvement in research, and oncology nurses' well-being and scope of practice.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate a need to steer a strategic programme of cancer nursing research towards digitalisation in cancer care to meet the current needs of people living with cancer and their caregivers. However, cancer nurses' burnout, staff shortages and disparities in specialist education will hinder the implementation of certain models of care.

Challenges and Opportunities in Designing and Deploying Remote Health Monitoring Technology for Older Adults With Cancer

Remote health monitoring (RHM) technologies (eg, wearables, smart phones, embedded sensors, and telehealth platforms) offer significant opportunities to improve health and wellness for older adults facing serious illness. This article highlights key challenges and opportunities for designing and deploying RHM systems in the context of caring for older adults with cancer, with an emphasis on the key role nurses can play in this work. Focal topics include user-centered design, interdisciplinary collaboration, addressing health inequities and disparities, privacy and data security, participant recruitment and burden, personalized and tailored care, rapid technological change, family caregiver perspectives, and naturalistic data collection. It is critical for nurses to be aware of both challenges and opportunities within each of these areas in order to develop RHM systems that are optimally beneficial for patients, family caregivers, clinicians, and organizations. By leveraging their unique knowledge of the illness experience from the patient, family, and health care provider perspective, nurses can make essential clinical and scientific contributions to advance the field of RHM.

Updates in Cancer Rehabilitation Telehealth

Purpose of Review

To describe the various uses of telehealth as it applies to cancer rehabilitation and to review recent findings since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent Findings

Telehealth has numerous applications in cancer rehabilitation including physiatry services, skilled therapies, exercise interventions, symptom management, and support groups. Numerous studies have shown that regular physician and skilled therapy services can be provided through telehealth platforms, though certain clinical situations may require in-person visits. Telehealth exercise-based interventions are feasible, safe, and can improve quality of life. Telehealth also may be an effective tool in symtom management and as a medium for support groups.

Summary

Telemedicine and telehealth platforms are effective tools in the field of cancer rehabilitation that not only provide increased safety and convenience for a burdened patient population but may also hold the potential to elevate beyond the current standard of care.