None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to determine whether telehealth is more cost effective, feasible and acceptable than in person psychological support for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged between 15 years and 25 years and have been newly diagnosed or have relapsed with cancer, for which you will undergo curative or palliative therapy at any paediatric or adult cancer centre in NSW or ACT. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly (by chance) allocated to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive psychological support via telehealth, whilst participants in the other group will receive in person psychological support. The psychosocial evaluation will be carried out at baseline, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. All participants will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires at these time points relating to treatment acceptability and satisfaction, anxiety and quality of life. This will enable us to work out how effective telehealth is in implementing psychosocial support among AYAs with cancer, while also assessing its use as an age-appropriate model of delivering support, taking into account developmental concerns around autonomy and independence. An additional aim is to demonstrate evidence supporting the validity of the AYA Psychosocial Assessment Screening Tool and Psychosocial Assessment. While the distress thermometer (DT) is widely used and has been validated in numerous adult cancer populations, participants under the age of 18 have been excluded. Thus, there isn’t currently a validated instrument for measuring distress amongst AYAs with cancer.
Interventions
Receiving psychosocial care and evaluation by telehealth by a psychologist/social worker. The assessment will be administered via telehealth using a WebEx interface across the internet. Questionnaires will also assist in the evaluation and care processes. Communication for appointments may be via letter, email, text messaging, or phone. Semi-structured clinical interview based on the validated Home & Environment Education, Employment Eating Exercise Activities and Drugs Sexual activity Sexuality
Receiving psychosocial care and evaluation by telehealth by a psychologist/social worker. The assessment will be administered via telehealth using a WebEx interface across the internet. Questionnaires will also assist in the evaluation and care processes. Communication for appointments may be via letter, email, text messaging, or phone. Semi-structured clinical interview based on the validated Home & Environment Education, Employment Eating Exercise Activities and Drugs Sexual activity Sexuality and Suicide/Mental Risk (HEADSS) assessment. The assessment involves discussing a range of important aspects relating to the young persons psychosocial and mental health issues, family, peers, relationship, school and other concerns. This may involve incidental supportive counselling and may involve incidental support through cognitive behavioural coping strategies. however the primary intervention is the structural interview process. The assessment is intended to take approximately 15-20 minutes for completion of questionnaires and about 5 minutes after the interview assessment. The assessment with the psychologist will take approximately 1 hour. The evaluation and care will be assessing satisfaction of care, perceptions of care providers, anxiety and depression aspects. The psychosocial assessments will be administered at baseline, 6 months, 12 months and 24 month timepoints.
Sponsors
The Sydney Childrens Hospitals Network
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
15 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. AYA cancer patients aged between 15 years and 25 years. 2. Patients who have been newly diagnosed or who have relapsed with a malignant haematological or oncological diagnosis 3. Patients who will undergo curative or palliative therapy which may include chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy in different combinations. 4. AYA patient being treated at any paediatric or adult cancer centre in NSW and ACT 5. Patient who are mentally/physically able to participate in either in-person psychosocial assessment or teleconference consultations. 6. Patients who speak limited English can be enrolled as long as the sessions are undertaken with an interpreter present at the telehealth site or in-person at consultation. The participant must be able to complete the questionnaires (which are in English).
Exclusion criteria
1. Patients with a disability that does not permit the completion of questionnaires or an inability to participate in the study, as determined by the health professional or the carer. 2. Patients unable to participate in the psychosocial consults or completion of the questionnaires for the duration of the study (for language or other reason).
Outcome results
None listed