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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
First experience with electronic feedback of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool in pediatric cancer care
Sasja A Schepers1,2,3, Simone M Sint Nicolaas4, Heleen Maurice-Stam5
1Psychosocial Department, Academic Medical Center/Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. sasja.schepers@stjude.org.
Insights
The electronic Psychosocial Assessment Tool (ePAT) is feasible in pediatric cancer care, though its added value requires further clarification. Strategies are needed to optimize ePAT integration into clinical practice for better family support.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Clinical Psychology
- Health Informatics
Background:
- The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) screens for psychosocial issues in families.
- Electronic health tools are increasingly used to improve patient care and data collection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and usability of the electronic PAT (ePAT) in pediatric cancer care.
- To evaluate the integration of ePAT into routine clinical workflows.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-six parents of newly diagnosed children with cancer participated.
- Feasibility measured by registration, completion, and review rates.
- Usability assessed via team questionnaires on perceived value and actions taken.
Main Results:
- ePAT showed 70% registration, 87% completion, and 85% review rates.
- Team members found the ePAT matched their risk estimations but offered limited new information.
- Actions were taken for 25% of families, more often for elevated risk scores.
Conclusions:
- ePAT implementation is feasible in pediatric cancer settings.
- Clearer strategies are needed to demonstrate ePAT's added value and facilitate care allocation.
- Collaborative development with clinical teams is recommended to enhance ePAT's utility.
Purpose:
The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a brief family screener, identifying families at universal or elevated risk for psychosocial problems. This study aimed to determine the feasibility and usability of the electronic PAT (ePAT) in pediatric cancer care.
Methods:
Eighty-six parents of newly diagnosed children with cancer (0-18 years) agreed to participate and registered at the website www.hetklikt.nu (58%). Seventy-five families completed the ePAT at approximately 1 month post-diagnosis. Answers were transformed into an electronic PROfile (PAT ePROfile) and fed back to the psychosocial team. Team members completed a semi-structured evaluation questionnaire. Feasibility was measured as the percentage of website registrations, completed ePATs, and PAT ePROfiles reviewed or discussed by the team. Usability included perceived match of the PAT ePROfile with the team's own risk estimation, perceived added value, and perceived actions undertaken as a result of the PAT ePROfile.
Results:
Feasibility was 70% for website registration, 87% for completed ePATs, 85% for PAT ePROfile reviewing, and 67% for ePROfile discussion. Team members reported that the PAT ePROfile matched with their own risk estimation (M = 7.92, SD = 1.88) and did not provide additional information (M = 2.18, SD = 2.30). According to the team, actions were undertaken for 25% of the families as a result of the PAT ePROfile. More actions were undertaken for families with elevated risk scores compared to universal risk scores (p = .007).
Conclusions:
Implementation of the ePAT seems generally feasible, but it is not always clear how this screener adds to current clinical practice. Strategies should be developed together with team members to improve quick exchange of ePAT results and allocate care according to the needs of the families.
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