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Schilstra CE, Ellis SJ, Cohen J, Gall A, Diaz A, Clarke K, Dumlao G, Chard J, Cumming TM, Davis E, Dhillon H, Burns MA, Docking K, Koh ES, O'Reilly J, Sansom-Daly UM, Shaw J, Speers N, Taylor N, Warne A, Fardell JE. Exploring Web-Based Information and Resources That Support Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer to Resume Study and Work: Environmental Scan Study. JMIR Cancer 2024; 10:e47944. [PMID: 38526527 PMCID: PMC11002739 DOI: 10.2196/47944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer experience physical, cognitive, and psychosocial effects from cancer treatment that can negatively affect their ability to remain engaged in education or work through cancer treatment and in the long term. Disengagement from education or work can have lasting implications for AYAs' financial independence, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Australian AYAs with cancer lack access to adequate specialist support for their education and work needs and report a preference for web-based support that they can access from anywhere, in their own time. However, it remains unclear what web-based resources exist that are tailored to support AYAs with cancer in reaching their educational or work goals. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine what web-based resources exist for Australian AYAs with cancer to (1) support return to education or work and (2) identify the degree to which existing resources are age-specific, cancer-specific, culturally inclusive, and evidence-based; are co-designed with AYAs; use age-appropriate language; and are easy to find. METHODS We conducted an environmental scan by searching Google with English search terms in August 2022 to identify information resources about employment and education for AYAs ever diagnosed with cancer. Data extraction was conducted in Microsoft Excel, and the following were assessed: understandability and actionability (using the Patient Education and Materials Tool), readability (using the Sydney Health Literacy Laboratory Health Literacy Editor), and whether the resource was easy to locate, evidence-based, co-designed with AYAs, and culturally inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The latter was assessed using 7 criteria previously developed by members of the research team. RESULTS We identified 24 web-based resources, comprising 22 written text resources and 12 video resources. Most resources (21/24, 88%) were published by nongovernmental organizations in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A total of 7 resources focused on education, 8 focused on work, and 9 focused on both education and work. The evaluation of resources demonstrated poor understandability and actionability. Resources were rarely evidence-based or co-designed by AYAs, difficult to locate on the internet, and largely not inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. CONCLUSIONS Although web-based resources for AYAs with cancer are often available through the websites of hospitals or nongovernmental organizations, this environmental scan suggests they would benefit from more evidence-based and actionable resources that are available in multiple formats (eg, text and audio-visual) and tailored to be age-appropriate and culturally inclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa E Schilstra
- Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Randwick, Australia
| | - Sarah J Ellis
- Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Randwick, Australia
| | - Jennifer Cohen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
- Canteen Australia, Newtown, Australia
| | - Alana Gall
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia
| | - Abbey Diaz
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Gadiel Dumlao
- Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Randwick, Australia
| | - Jennifer Chard
- Western Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia
| | - Therese M Cumming
- Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
- Disability Innovation Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | | | - Haryana Dhillon
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Mary Anne Burns
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Kimberley Docking
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Eng-Siew Koh
- South West Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Liverpool, Australia
- Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, Liverpool, Australia
- Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
| | | | - Ursula M Sansom-Daly
- Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Randwick, Australia
- Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Joanne Shaw
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Nicole Speers
- Cancer survivor representative, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Natalie Taylor
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | - Anthea Warne
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | - Joanna E Fardell
- Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales Sydney, Randwick, Australia
- Western Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia
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