scholarly journals Effects and Implementation of a Mindfulness and Relaxation App for Cancer Patients: Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study (Preprint)

JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/16785 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mikolasek ◽  
Claudia Margitta Witt ◽  
Jürgen Barth
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Feasibility Study

scholarly journals Adherence to a Mindfulness and Relaxation Self-Care App for Cancer Patients: Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study

10.2196/11271 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e11271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mikolasek ◽  
Claudia M Witt ◽  
Jürgen Barth
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Self Care

scholarly journals Effects and Implementation of a Mindfulness and Relaxation App for Cancer Patients: Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mikolasek ◽  
Claudia Margitta Witt ◽  
Jürgen Barth
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Standard Medical Care ◽  
Related Quality

BACKGROUND A cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment can cause high levels of distress, which is often not sufficiently addressed in standard medical care. Therefore, a variety of supportive non-pharmacological treatments have been suggested to reduce cancer patients’ distress. However, not all patients use those interventions because of limited access or being unaware. To overcome these barriers, mHealth might be a promising way to deliver respective supportive treatments. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate effects and the implementation of a mindfulness and relaxation app intervention for cancer patients as well as patients’ adherence to such an intervention. METHODS In this observational feasibility study with a mixed-methods approach, cancer patients were recruited online and through hospitals in Switzerland. All enrolled patients received access to a mindfulness and relaxation app. Patients completed self-reported outcomes (general health, health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, distress, mindfulness, and fear of progression) at baseline, week 4, 10, and 20. The frequency of app exercise usage was gathered directly through the app in order to assess the adherence of patients. In addition, we conducted interviews with 5 health professionals for their thoughts on the implementation of the app intervention into standard medical care. We analyzed patients’ self-reported outcomes with linear mixed models (LMM) and qualitative data with content analysis. RESULTS A total of 100 cancer patients (74 female) with a mean age of 53.2 (SD 11.6) participated in the study, of which 25 patients used the app regularly until week 20. LMM analyses revealed an improvement in anxiety (P=.04), distress (P<.001), fatigue (P=.01), sleep disturbance (P=.02), quality of life (P=.03), and mindfulness (P<.001) over the course of 20 weeks. Further LMM analyses revealed a larger improvement of distress (P<.001), a moderate improvement of anxiety (P=.001), and depression (P=.03) in patients with high symptom levels at baseline in the respective domains. The interviews revealed that the health professionals perceived the app as a helpful addition to standard care. They also made suggestions for improvements, which could facilitate the implementation and adherence to such an app. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that a mindfulness and relaxation app for cancer patients can be a feasible and effective way to deliver a self-care intervention, especially for highly distressed patients. Future studies should investigate if the appeal of the app can be increased with more content and the effectiveness of such an intervention needs to be tested in a randomized controlled trial. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Reamed intramedullary nailing versus circular frame external fixation for segmental tibial fractures (STIFF-F): a mixed methods feasibility study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline B. Hing ◽  
Elizabeth Tutton ◽  
Toby O. Smith ◽  
Molly Glaze ◽  
Jamie R. Stokes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
External Fixation ◽  
Intramedullary Nailing ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Tibial Fracture ◽  
Tibial Fractures ◽  
Circular Frame ◽  
Pilot Rct ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Segmental tibial fractures are fractures in two or more areas of the tibial diaphysis resulting in a separate intercalary segment of the bone. Surgical fixation is recommended for patients with segmental tibial fractures as non-operative treatment outcomes are poor. The most common surgical interventions are intramedullary nailing (IMN) and circular frame external fixation (CFEF), but evidence about which is better is of poor quality. An adequately powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine optimum treatment is required. STIFF-F aimed to assess the feasibility of a multicentre RCT comparing IMN with CFEF for segmental tibial fracture. Methods STIFF-F was a mixed-methods feasibility study comprising a pilot RCT conducted at six UK Major Trauma Centres, qualitative interviews drawing on Phenomenology and an online survey of rehabilitation. The primary outcome was recruitment rate. Patients, 16 years and over, with a segmental tibial fracture (open or closed) deemed suitable for IMN or CFEF were eligible to participate. Randomisation was stratified by site using random permuted blocks of varying sizes. Participant or assessor blinding was not possible. Interviews were undertaken with patients about their experience of injury, treatment, recovery and participation. Staff were interviewed to identify contextual factors affecting trial processes, their experience of recruitment and the treatment pathway. An online survey was developed to understand the rehabilitation context of the treatments. Results Eleven patients were screened and three recruited to the pilot RCT. Nineteen staff and four patients participated in interviews, and 11 physiotherapists responded to the survey. This study found the following: (i) segmental tibial fractures were rarer than anticipated, (ii) the complexity of the injury, study setup times and surgeon treatment preferences impeded recruitment, (iii) recovery from a segmental tibial fracture is challenging, and rehabilitation protocols are inconsistent and (iv) despite the difficulty recruiting, staff valued this research question and strived to find a way forward. Conclusion The proposed multicentre RCT comparing IMN with CFEF is not feasible. This study highlighted the difficulty of recruiting patients to an RCT of a complex rare injury over a short time period. Trial registration The study was registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number Registry: ISRCTN11229660

Cardiac rehabilitation for people with sub-acute, mild to moderate stroke: results from a mixed methods feasibility study

Physiotherapy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. e94
Author(s):  
N. Clague-Baker ◽  
T. Robinson ◽  
C. Gillies ◽  
S. Drewry ◽  
A. Hagenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Cardiac Rehabilitation ◽  
Feasibility Study

Medication Adherence Reminder System for Virtual Home Assistants: Mixed Methods Evaluative Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia F. Corbett ◽  
Elizabeth M. Combs ◽  
Peyton S. Chandarana ◽  
Isabel Stringfellow ◽  
Karen Worthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Constructive Feedback ◽  
The Past ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mcnemar’S Test ◽  
Medication Reminder ◽  
Mcnemar's Test

BACKGROUND Medication non-adherence is a global public health challenge that results in sub-optimal health outcomes and increases healthcare costs. Forgetting to take medicines is one of the most common reasons for unintentional non-adherence. Research findings indicate that voice-activated virtual home assistants (VHAs), such as Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, may be useful in promoting medication adherence. OBJECTIVE Create a medication adherence app (skill) for Amazon Echo devices and measure the use, usability, and usefulness of that skill. METHODS A single-group mixed methods cohort feasibility study was conducted with females who took oral contraceptives (n=25). Participants were undergraduate students (mean age = 21.8, SD 6.2) at an urban university in the Southeast United States. Participants were given an Amazon Echo Dot with MedBuddy, a new medication reminder skill for Echo devices created by our team, attached to their study account, which they used for 60 days. Participants self-reported baseline and post-study medication adherence. MedBuddy use was objectively evaluated by tracking the participants’ interaction with MedBuddy through Amazon Alexa. The usability and usefulness of MedBuddy were evaluated through a post-study interview with participants responding to both quantitative and qualitative questions. RESULTS Participants’ interactions with MedBuddy, as tracked through Amazon Alexa, only occurred on half of the study days (mean of 50.97, SD 29.5). Compared to baseline, at study end participants reported missing their medication less in the past one and six months (χ 2 = .884 and .420 respectively, McNemar’s test p < .001 for both). However, there was no significant difference in participants’ reported adherence to consistently taking medication within the same two-hour time frame each day the past one or six months at the end of the study compared to baseline (χ 2 = 3.544 and 5.526 respectively, McNemar’s test p = .63 and p = .13 respectively). Overall feedback about usability was positive, and participants provided constructive feedback about features of the skill that could be improved. Participants’ evaluation of the usefulness of Medbuddy was overwhelmingly positive. Most participants (65.2%, n=15) said they would continue to use MedBuddy as a medication reminder in the future if provided the opportunity and the majority (91.3%, n=21) said they would recommend it to others. MedBuddy features that participants enjoyed were an external prompt separate from their phone, being able to hear the reminder prompt from a separate room, multiple reminders, and verbal responses as prompts. CONCLUSIONS The results of this feasibility study indicate the MedBuddy medication reminder skill may be useful in promoting medication adherence, but the skill could benefit from further usability enhancements.

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