Facilitator of change: Patients’ and clinicians’ experiences using ASyMS, a real-time remote monitoring system for chemotherapy symptom management (Preprint)

Abstract

Patients receiving chemotherapy require ongoing symptom monitoring and management to optimize their outcomes. In recent years, digital remote monitoring interventions have emerged to provide enhanced cancer care delivery experiences to patients and clinicians. However, patients and clinicians evaluations of these technologies are rare. Therefore, we evaluated one such intervention - the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) – after its scaled deployment in five European countries in the eSMART trial. Objective: In this study both patients’ and clinicians’ experiences using ASyMS during chemotherapy were explored to understand ASyMS’ impact on patients’ experiences, clinical practice, and supportive care delivery.

In this study both patients’ and clinicians’ experiences using ASyMS during chemotherapy were explored to understand ASyMS’ impact on patients’ experiences, clinical practice, and supportive care delivery.

For this analysis, semi-structured 1:1 interviews with 29 patients with breast, colorectal and hematological cancers and 18 clinicians from Austria, Greece, Ireland, Norway and United Kingdom were conducted. Interviews focused on patients’ and clinicians’ experiences of using ASyMS; care organization and changes in practice following the introduction of ASyMS; perceived changes in care associated with the use of ASyMS, and its potential for future integration into routine chemotherapy care pathways.

Thematic analysis identified several themes that describe patients’ and clinicians’ experiences using ASyMS. One central orienting theme - ASyMS as a facilitator of change – was supported by five key themes: reassurance from human and technology monitoring; enhanced communications and relationships through human and technology monitoring; knowing what is “normal” and what is to be expected through human and technology monitoring; enhancing cancer care experiences through human and technology monitoring; and informing future cancer care through human and technology monitoring.

This study is the first to evaluate both patients’ and clinicians’ experiences using a digital health intervention across five countries. Experiences with ASyMS were positive from both patients’ and clinicians’ perspectives. This study demonstrates the acceptability, value, and importance of real-time remote monitoring systems to provide supportive care for patients undergoing chemotherapy and clinicians providing care.

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02356081

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015016