Patients' and Clinicians' Experiences Using a Real-Time Remote Monitoring System for Chemotherapy Symptom Management...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Digital Health
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Chemotherapy requires continuous symptom monitoring for optimal patient outcomes.
• Digital remote monitoring interventions are emerging to enhance cancer care delivery.
• Experiential evaluations of these technologies by patients and clinicians are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient and clinician experiences with the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) after its scaled deployment.
• To understand the impact of ASyMS on patient experiences, clinical practice, and supportive care delivery during chemotherapy.
• To assess the potential for integrating ASyMS into routine cancer care pathways.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study involving semistructured interviews with 29 cancer patients and 18 clinicians.
• Participants were from 5 European countries involved in the Electronic Symptom Management System Remote Technology (eSMART) trial.
• Interviews focused on user experiences, care organization, practice changes, and future integration potential.

Main Results:

• Thematic analysis revealed ASyMS as a facilitator of change, enhancing monitoring.
• Key themes included patient reassurance, improved communication and relationships, and better understanding of "normal" symptoms.
• ASyMS was perceived to enhance cancer care experiences and inform future care strategies.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study evaluating patient and clinician experiences with a digital remote monitoring system for chemotherapy symptoms across multiple countries.
• Experiences with ASyMS were positive, highlighting its role in patient reassurance and timely, appropriate clinician care.
• Improvements were identified to support wider-scale rollout and sustained implementation of digital health interventions in oncology.