scholarly journals Toward Modernization of Geriatric Oncology by Digital Health Technologies

2020 ◽  
pp. 209-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armin Shahrokni ◽  
Kah Poh Loh ◽  
William A. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Wireless Sensors ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Geriatric Oncology ◽  
Proper Selection ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Oncology Research ◽  
Patient Reported

The number of older adults with cancer is increasing. Over the past 3 decades, geriatric oncology research has focused on improving the assessment of frailty and fitness of older adults with cancer as well as methods of improving their outcomes. At the same time, advances in digital health technologies have opened new frontiers for reaching this goal. Digital health technologies encompass a variety of solutions, from electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) to big data and wireless sensors. These solutions have the potential to further advance our understanding of patients’ experiences during cancer treatment. Whereas the data on the feasibility and utility of such solutions in the care of older adults with cancer are limited, interest from digital health oncology researchers to further explore the benefits of these products is increasing. In this article, we describe the focus of geriatric oncology, the rationale behind the need to explore digital health technologies in this setting, and emerging data and ongoing studies, as well as provide guidelines for proper selection, implementation, and testing of digital health solutions in the context of geriatric oncology.

Digital Health for Geriatric Oncology

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Fallahzadeh ◽  
Seyed Ali Rokni ◽  
Hassan Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis ◽  
Armin Shahrokni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Geriatric Oncology ◽  
Symptom Assessment ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Cancer Management ◽  
Study Protocols ◽  
Health Related

In this review, we describe state-of-the-art digital health solutions for geriatric oncology and explore the potential application of emerging remote health-monitoring technologies in the context of cancer care. We also discuss the benefits and motivations behind adopting technology for symptom monitoring of older adults with cancer. We provide an overview of common symptoms and of the digital solutions–designed remote symptom assessment. We describe state-of-the-art systems for this purpose and highlight the limitations and challenges for the full-scale adoption of such solutions in geriatric oncology. With rapid advances in Internet-of-things technologies, many remote assessment systems have been developed in recent years. Despite showing potential in several health care domains and reliable functionality, few of these solutions have been designed for or tested in older patients with cancer. As a result, the geriatric oncology community lacks a consensus understanding of a possible correlation between remote digital assessments and health-related outcomes. Although the recent development of digital health solutions has been shown to be reliable and effective in many health-related applications, there exists an unmet need for development of systems and clinical trials specifically designed for remote cancer management of older adults with cancer, including developing advanced remote technologies for cancer-related symptom assessment and psychological behavior monitoring at home and developing outcome-oriented study protocols for accurate evaluation of existing or emerging systems. We conclude that perhaps the clearest path to future large-scale use of remote digital health technologies in cancer research is designing and conducting collaborative studies involving computer scientists, oncologists, and patient advocates.

scholarly journals Digital Health Interventions for Healthy Aging: A Qualitative User Evaluation and Ethical Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Ienca ◽  
Christophe Schneble ◽  
Reto Kressig ◽  
Tenzin Wangmo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract BackgroundDigital health technologies are being increasingly developed with the aim of allowing older adults to maintain functional independence throughout the old age, a process known as healthy ageing. Such digital health technologies for healthy ageing are expected to mitigate the socio-economic effects of population ageing and improve the quality of life of older people. However, little is known regarding the views and needs of older people regarding these technologies. AimThe aim of this study is to explore the views, needs and perceptions of community-dwelling older adults regarding the use of digital health technologies for healthy ageing. MethodFace-to-face, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with community-dwelling older adults (median age 79.6 years). The interview process involved both abstract reflections and practical demonstrations. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to inductive content analysis. ResultsThree main themes and twelve sub-themes emerged. The three main themes revolved around the following thematic areas: favorable views and perceptions on technology-assisted living, usability evaluations and ethical considerations. ConclusionsOur study reveals a generally positive attitude towards digital health technologies as participants believed digital tools could positively contribute to improving their overall wellbeing, especially if designed in a patient-centered manner. Safety concerns and ethical issues related to privacy, empowerment and lack of human contact also emerged as key considerations.

The Past, Present, and Future of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Oncology

2015 ◽  
pp. e616-e620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Time Commitment ◽  
The Past ◽  
Everyday Activities ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Development Technology ◽  
Treatment Research

Patient-reported outcomes capture a unique and important perspective of oncology therapy. Surveys to properly capture patient-reported outcome measures have been under development for more than 2 decades. More recent efforts to understand the clinical significance of patient-reported outcomes, called performance measures, are underway. Patient-reported outcomes can be used in a variety of ways, including therapy decisions for an individual patient, payment for treatment, research into disease progression, or new drug development. Technology has already enabled electronic systems to capture and search patient-reported outcomes and in the future will assist in capturing everyday activities, which, in combination with improved informatics to sort the meaningful and actionable information, will reduce the time commitment for both patients and providers.

Usability testing of the PRO-CTCAE measurement system in patients with cancer.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e17560-e17560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria R. Fawzy ◽  
Amy Pickar Abernethy ◽  
Martin W. Schoen ◽  
Lauren J. Rogak ◽  
Tito R. Mendoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Oncology Research ◽  
Patient Reported

e17560 Background: Use of electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs) are increasingly employed in patient care and oncology research. However, these systems can be difficult to use, preventing adoption and deployment. The objective is to evaluate the patient usability of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Patient Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) Measurement System. Methods: PRO-CTCAE is an item bank of 124 questions evaluating 78 symptomatic adverse events, as well as a software system that includes a web-based and interactive voice response system [IVRS] to administer these items to patients, and electronic features to customize survey creation, schedule survey administration, export data, and generate alerts and reports. A protocol was developed for two rounds of usability testing to evaluate understanding and ease of navigation reported by patients undergoing cancer treatment. Software was refined between rounds and retested. Patients were asked to login and complete PRO-CTCAE items either in clinic or at home, then were immediately debriefed (semi-scripted) by a trained interviewer. Results: 173 patients at 3 cancer centers and affiliated community network sites were enrolled in the study between 1/11-5/12 (45% male; 32% non-white; 26% high school or less). Usability issues identified in Round 1 (N=37) included difficulty in using radio buttons, absence of survey progress indicators, and problems with system login. Modifications included increasing size of buttons, improving the progress bar feature, and simplifying the interface to focus users on survey questions. In Round 2 (N=136), remaining issues were related to general difficulty with Internet use, such as navigating to the URL. IVRS testing indicated high scores of ease of use and completion of items, but users had difficulty adding unique symptoms to the system. Conclusions: Iterative usability testing identified improvements to web-based and IVRS for patient self-reporting and achieved a more favorable user experience. The feasibility of integrating PRO-CTCAE into trials to gather symptomatic adverse events directly from patients is currently being evaluated in the cancer cooperative groups.

Digital health application for real-time patient-reported outcomes during prostate radiotherapy.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 157-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Xiao Yang ◽  
Jackson Thea ◽  
Yi An ◽  
James B. Yu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Prostate Radiotherapy ◽  
Patient Reported

157 Background: The use of digital health technology, including mobile applications, in the clinical setting is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Such technology is currently being explored as clinical research tools. While the side effects of prostate radiotherapy are well documented after treatment, there remains a paucity of data on patient-reported outcomes and changes in quality of life (QOL) during the treatment period. Therefore, mobile applications represent a practical platform to enable patient reporting in real-time during prostate radiotherapy. Methods: Using an existing open source code framework (Apple ResearchKit), we developed a novel mobile application that enables prostate cancer patients to report, either during or immediately following daily radiation treatment, changes in urinary, bowel, sexual, and hormonal QOL domains. The mobile application utilizes validated questions from the Expanded Prostate Index Composite for Clinical Practice (EPIC-CP) Survey, and allows for survey responses to be tracked over time throughout the treatment period and at routine follow up. Results: For the initial phase of our study, we are currently piloting the mobile application at a single institution with a goal of accruing 50 patients. Study results will be compared to data from traditional surveys, which are available at follow-up but impracticable for real-time symptom reporting. By ASCO 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, we plan to begin the second phase of our study where any patient can enroll online through a mobile software distribution platform (Apple App Store). Conclusions: We demonstrate the feasibility of using a mobile application to enable patients to report quality of life changes in real-time during prostate radiotherapy. Moreover, our application facilitates clinical trials where patient data collection can be automated and completed at scale. Future prospective studies are planned to evaluate validity of clinical trial data gathered through such methodology.

Development of novel emoji scale to measure patient-reported outcomes in cancer patients.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 174-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Thompson ◽  
Paul J Novotny ◽  
Alicia Bartz ◽  
Kathleen J. Yost ◽  
Jeff A. Sloan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Function ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ordinal Scale ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
The Past ◽  
Smart Watch ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Self Assessments

174 Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including physical function and quality of life (QOL), are important outcomes in cancer patients. Emoji are a near-universal, popular form of communication, understandable by diverse populations, including those with low health literacy. We aimed to explore whether emoji could be a valid, reliable scale for assessing PROs in cancer patients. Methods: To develop the emoji scale, 5 emoji faces were selected from the Apple emoji dictionary by study authors. 20 cancer patients participated in a card-sorting exercise to rank the emoji from negative to positive; 19 out of 20 selected the same order, which exceeded Coomb’s criteria for being a valid ordinal scale. Patients were recruited from Mayo Clinic practices. Eligibility included: adult patients with a diagnosis of lymphoma, multiple myeloma, brain, pancreatic, breast, and ovarian cancer within the past 5 years; life expectancy of > 6 months; and own an iPhone version ≥ 5.0. All patients were provided with an Apple Watch and downloaded the study app. Baseline PRO data was collected on the iPhone, including single-item linear analog self-assessments (LASA) and emoji scales for fatigue, physical function, emotional well-being, and overall QOL. Results: From 2/2017-8/2017, 294 eligible patients were recruited. 25% were male, and median age was 53 years (range 20-79). The median time since diagnosis was 8.4 months (range 0-60); 63% were on active therapy, 27% were in observation post-treatment, and 10% had not been treated. All patients were “extremely” confident filling out forms, 99% had used a computer in the past 12 months, and 27% had ever used a smart watch. Emoji responses were significantly associated with validated measures of PROs; the Spearman correlations between the ordinal emoji scales and LASAs were -0.83 for fatigue, 0.72 for physical well-being, 0.72 for emotional well-being, and 0.77 for overall QOL (all p < 0.0001). Of the 75 patients who have completed the study thus far, 92% reported they would use emoji scales again and 89% would recommend that others use emoji scales. Conclusions: A novel ordinal emoji scale is strongly associated with accepted measures of PROs in cancer patients and should be studied further.

scholarly journals Digital Predictors of Morbidity, Hospitalization, and Mortality Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Daniolou ◽  
Andreas Rapp ◽  
Celina Haase ◽  
Alfred Ruppert ◽  
Marlene Wittwer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Improve Health

The widespread adoption of digital health technologies such as smartphone-based mobile applications, wearable activity trackers and Internet of Things systems has rapidly enabled new opportunities for predictive health monitoring. Leveraging digital health tools to track parameters relevant to human health is particularly important for the older segments of the population as old age is associated with multimorbidity and higher care needs. In order to assess the potential of these digital health technologies to improve health outcomes, it is paramount to investigate which digitally measurable parameters can effectively improve health outcomes among the elderly population. Currently, there is a lack of systematic evidence on this topic due to the inherent heterogeneity of the digital health domain and the lack of clinical validation of both novel prototypes and marketed devices. For this reason, the aim of the current study is to synthesize and systematically analyse which digitally measurable data may be effectively collected through digital health devices to improve health outcomes for older people. Using a modified PICO process and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework, we provide the results of a systematic review and subsequent meta-analysis of digitally measurable predictors of morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among older adults aged 65 or older. These findings can inform both technology developers and clinicians involved in the design, development and clinical implementation of digital health technologies for elderly citizens.

scholarly journals ProACT - A Digital Platform to Support Self-Management of Multiple Chronic Conditions: Findings in Relation to Engagement during a one-year Proof-of-Concept Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Doyle ◽  
Emma Murphy ◽  
Shane Gavin ◽  
Alessandra Pascale ◽  
Stephane Deparis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Care Approach

BACKGROUND Self-management, a core activity for older adults living with multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity), is challenging, requiring the person to engage in multiple tasks such as symptom monitoring, recognition of exacerbations, medication adherence and inter-stakeholder communication. A digital, integrated care approach is a critical part of the solution, however, there is a dearth of literature on this topic. Furthermore, there is little research on older adults’ acceptability, usage and experiences of engaging with digital health technologies, particularly over long periods of time. OBJECTIVE The objectives were to (1) co-design and develop a digital health platform, called ProACT, to facilitate older adults self-managing multimorbidity, with support from their care network (CN); (2) evaluate end user engagement and experiences with the platform through a 12-month trial. METHODS The ProACT digital health platfrom is presented. The platform was evaluated in a year-long proof-of-concept (PoC) action research trial with 120 older persons with multimorbidity (PwMs) in Ireland and Belgium. Alongside the technology, participants had access to a clinical triage service responding to symptom alerts, and a technical helpdesk. Interactions with the platform during the PoC trial were logged to determine engagement, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and analysed using inductive thematic analysis methods, while usability and user burden were examined using validated questionnaires. RESULTS This article presents the ProACT platform and its components, along with findings on engagement with the platform and its usability. Of the 120 participants who took part, 24 withdrew before the end of the study while three passed away. The remaining 93 participants actively used the platform until the end of the trial, on average taking two or three health readings daily over the course of the trial, in Ireland and Belgium respectively. Participants reported ProACT to be usable and of low burden. Findings from interviews outline that participants experienced multiple benefits as a result of using ProACT, including improved self-management, improved health and wellbeing and support from the triage service. For those who withdrew, barriers to engagement were poor health and frustration when technology didn’t work as expected. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to present findings from a longitudinal study of older adults using digital health technology to self-manage multiple chronic conditions. Our findings show that older adults sustained engagement with the technology and found it usable. Potential reasons for this include a strong focus on user-centred design and engagement throughout the project lifecycle, resulting in a platform that met user needs, as well as the integration of behavior change techniques and personal analytics into the platform. The provision of triage and technical support services alongside the platform during the trial were also important facilitators of engagement. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/preprints.22125

scholarly journals Cachexia and Sarcopenia in Older Adults with Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Dunne ◽  
Kah Poh Loh ◽  
Grant R. Williams ◽  
Aminah Jatoi ◽  
Karen M. Mustian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Cancer Cachexia ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Geriatric Oncology ◽  
Performance Testing ◽  
Older Patient ◽  
Consensus Definition ◽  
Patient Reported

Cancer cachexia is a syndrome characterized by weight loss with accompanying loss of muscle and/or fat mass and leads to impaired patient function and physical performance and is associated with a poor prognosis. It is prevalent in older adults with cancer; age-associated physiologic muscle wasting and weakness, also known as sarcopenia, can compound deficits associated with cancer cachexia in older adults and makes studying this condition more complex in this population. Multiple measurement options are available to assess the older patient with cancer and cachexia and/or sarcopenia including anthropometric measures, imaging modalities such as Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and Computed Tomography (CT), muscular strength and physical performance testing, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). A geriatric assessment (GA) is a useful tool when studying the older patient with cachexia given its comprehensive ability to capture aging-sensitive PROs. Interventions focused on nutrition and increasing physical activity may improve outcomes in older adults with cachexia. Efforts to develop targeted pharmacologic therapies with cachexia have not been successful thus far. Formal treatment guidelines, an updated consensus definition for cancer cachexia and the development of a widely adapted assessment tool, much like the GA utilized in geriatric oncology, could help advance the field of cancer cachexia over the next decade.

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