Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a psychosocial support program for adolescent and young adult cancer patients in clinical practice: a retrospective observational study

Feasibility of an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Tool for Screening Distress and Supportive Care Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer

Purpose: Although adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients are digital natives and have high digital communication needs, previous studies of screening tools for AYAs have primarily used paper when measuring patient-reported outcomes (PROs). There are no reports on using an electronic PRO (ePRO) screening tool with AYAs. This study evaluated the feasibility of such a tool in clinical settings, and assessed the prevalence of AYAs' distress and supportive care needs. Methods: An ePRO tool based on the Distress Thermometer and Problem List (DTPL)-Japanese (DTPL-J) version for AYAs was implemented in a clinical setting for 3 months. To determine the prevalence of distress and need for supportive care, descriptive statistics were calculated for participant characteristics, selected items, and Distress Thermometer (DT) scores. Response rates, referral rates to an attending physician and other experts, and time required to complete PRO tools were assessed to evaluate feasibility. Results: From February to April 2022, 244 (93.8%) of 260 AYAs completed the ePRO tool based on the DTPL-J for AYAs. Based on a DT cutoff of ≥5, 65 of 244 patients (26.6%) had high distress. Worry (n = 81, 33.2%) was the most frequently selected item. Primary nurses referred 85 (32.7%) patients to an attending physician or other experts. The referral rate resulting from ePRO screening was significantly higher than that after PRO screening (χ2(1) = 17.99, p < 0.001). The average response time did not differ significantly between ePRO and PRO screening (p = 0.252). Conclusion: This study suggests the feasibility of an ePRO tool based on the DTPL-J for AYAs.

Preliminary Effectiveness of an In-Hospital Peer Support Program, Adolescent and Young Adult Hiroba, on Anxiety in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Cancer

Purpose: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer have few opportunities to connect with patients of the same generation while hospitalized. Although anxiety is frequently reported by them, there are no reports on the psychological effectiveness of an in-hospital patient support program based on peer support. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program, termed Adolescent and Young Adult Hiroba (AYA Hiroba), for anxiety in AYA patients with cancer. Methods: This single-center, prospective, observational study in 24 AYA patients with cancer was conducted at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A) was used to evaluate the primary outcome, anxiety. The Distress Thermometer (DT) was used to evaluate the secondary outcome, distress. The two outcomes were assessed before and after participation in AYA Hiroba. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) was used to evaluate satisfaction after participation in AYA Hiroba. Participants' free-text descriptions of the program were categorized according to similarities and differences. Results: The HADS-A and DT scores were significantly lower after the program than before (p < 0.001), as was the percentage of AYA patients with cancer with high distress (p = 0.04). The NPS was 27, which was lower than the value of 52 obtained in our previous study. Requests and suggestions to improve the program were grouped into three categories: content, facilitation, and online connection environment. Conclusion: This study suggests the preliminary effectiveness of the in-hospital peer support program for anxiety in AYA patients with cancer. The Clinical Trial Registration number: UMIN000045779.