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Intensive Daily Symptom and Function Monitoring Is Feasible and Acceptable to Women Undergoing First-Line
Grace B Campbell1, Sarah M Belcher, Young Ji Lee
1Author Affiliations: Duquesne University School of Nursing (Dr Campbell); University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing (Drs Belcher, Lee, and Donovan); Biobehavioral Cancer Control Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (Drs Campbell, Belcher, Bovbjerg, and Donovan); Department of Biomedical Informatics (Dr Lee) and Department of Psychiatry (Dr Bovbjerg), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (Dr Bizhanova); and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Drs Campbell, Courtney-Brooks, and Donovan), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Daily symptom and function monitoring is feasible and acceptable for gynecologic cancer (GC) patients undergoing chemotherapy. This approach may empower patients with symptom control information for better clinical discussions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Clinical Research Methods
Background:
- Gynecologic cancer (GC) patients undergoing chemotherapy experience severe symptoms and functional changes.
- Understanding daily symptom and function variations is crucial for improved management but rarely studied due to feasibility concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of daily symptom monitoring.
- To assess objective and self-reported functional changes every 21 days during chemotherapy for GC.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study involving 30 women during first-line chemotherapy.
- Daily symptom and falls diaries were maintained throughout treatment.
- Patient-reported outcomes and objective function testing were conducted pre-chemotherapy, with accrual, attrition, and completion rates analyzed.
Main Results:
- The study achieved an 83% accrual rate with a 17% overall attrition rate.
- Daily diary completion was 83%, with missing assessments decreasing across cycles.
- Participants reported positive perceptions of study involvement.
Conclusions:
- Intensive daily symptom and function monitoring is feasible and acceptable for GC patients.
- This monitoring may enhance patients' sense of symptom controllability.
- Findings support using daily monitoring in research to inform proactive, personalized symptom management interventions.
