Palliative Care in Cancer Trajectory and Survivorship
Mobile app for parental self-efficacy in symptom management
Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) are at risk of high stress levels because CMC have multisystem diseases, including severe neurological conditions or cancer, with the potential for premature death. These children experience one or more physical and psychological symptoms simultaneously, which can seriously affect their quality of life and increase their use of health services. Parents of CMC may feel challenged and lack confidence in their abilities when managing their child’s symptoms. Studies have suggested that increasing parents’ self-efficacy in managing their children’s symptoms could improve the children’s health. Home-based nursing services for CMC and their parents are available in Hong Kong but these services face challenges because of a serious nursing workforce shortage and the recent coronavirus pandemic. Having nurses support parents with symptom management using a proactive mobile health application is considered a more accessible alternative to home-based nursing, and nurse–parent interactivity is a way to continue home-based support for CMC and their parents. This proposed randomised controlled trial will test the effectiveness of a proactive mobile app with nurse support in enhancing parental self-efficacy in symptom management for CMC in communities. If significant positive outcomes are found, the evidence can be used to inform policies and seek resources to provide this programme to all families with CMC in Hong Kong to improve symptom management and paediatric nursing services.
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Digital story telling for Chinese childhood cancer survivors
Cancer in childhood has a devastating impact on the psychological well-being of survivors. Unlike their Western counterparts, Chinese cancer survivors tend to adopt emotion-focused coping strategies, owing to the strong influence of fatalism in Chinese society. Psychosocial interventions developed in the West may therefore not be generalisable to Chinese survivors of childhood cancer. Digital storytelling (DST) is an emotion-focused psychotherapy that may be suitable for this population. However, there has been little research on the use of DST among survivors of childhood cancer, particularly in the Chinese context.
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of DST in reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing self-esteem, and promoting quality of life among Chinese survivors of childhood cancer. The study will be conducted as a mixed-methods, randomised, wait-list controlled trial. A sample of 186 patients aged 13 to 18 years who have survived cancer in childhood will be recruited from Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. The participants will be randomised into either an experimental group (n = 93), who will receive a 4-day DST intervention, or a control group (n = 93), who will receive a placebo control intervention. All of the participants will complete a set of validated questionnaires to assess their depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and quality of life at baseline, immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. The primary outcome for evaluation will be depressive symptoms at 6 months. An analysis of covariance will be used to examine the effects of DST on depressive symptoms and on a range of secondary outcomes, including self-esteem and quality of life, among the participants.
Promoting psychological well-being in survivors of childhood cancer is considered a major responsibility of healthcare professionals. This study will bridge a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of DST among Chinese childhood survivors. If DST is found to be effective, it can be extended for use among Chinese children with chronic or complex medical conditions who similarly adopt emotion-focused coping strategies. Read MoreHide
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of DST in reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing self-esteem, and promoting quality of life among Chinese survivors of childhood cancer. The study will be conducted as a mixed-methods, randomised, wait-list controlled trial. A sample of 186 patients aged 13 to 18 years who have survived cancer in childhood will be recruited from Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. The participants will be randomised into either an experimental group (n = 93), who will receive a 4-day DST intervention, or a control group (n = 93), who will receive a placebo control intervention. All of the participants will complete a set of validated questionnaires to assess their depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and quality of life at baseline, immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. The primary outcome for evaluation will be depressive symptoms at 6 months. An analysis of covariance will be used to examine the effects of DST on depressive symptoms and on a range of secondary outcomes, including self-esteem and quality of life, among the participants.
Promoting psychological well-being in survivors of childhood cancer is considered a major responsibility of healthcare professionals. This study will bridge a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of DST among Chinese childhood survivors. If DST is found to be effective, it can be extended for use among Chinese children with chronic or complex medical conditions who similarly adopt emotion-focused coping strategies. Read MoreHide
