Promising Impact of Telenovela Intervention for Caregivers of Hospice Patients: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Hospice family caregivers (HFCGs) support the needs of their loved ones but are at risk of developing distress and anxiety. NOVELA is a four-chapter telenovela-style educational video to support topics related to hospice caregiving. Telehealth visits are scheduled in 4 weekly sessions consisting of a chapter and subsequent discussion with an interventionist. This feasibility pilot study tested NOVELA's effect to change HFCGs' outcomes, session and outcome measure completion (defined a priori as >70%). METHODS: This is a single-group pretest-posttest study of HFCGs of care recipients with PPS score >20% from 3 hospices in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. At baseline and at final posttest, participants completed a web-based survey assessing 3 outcomes: anxiety, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with intervention. Descriptive, t-test, and chi-square statistics were computed. RESULTS: Participants in our study (N = 59) were mainly collage educated, White, female, adult children of home-bound people with a non-cancer diagnosis. Outcomes changed in the expected direction (P > .05) with higher self-efficacy (Cohen's d = -.08 [95% CI -.4 to .2) and lower anxiety (Cohen's d = .2 [95% CI -.1 to .5]) scores from final to baseline, 86% of HFCGs were satisfied or very satisfied with NOVELA, session (33/59) and outcome measure (43/59) completion averaged 68%. CONCLUSION: Encouraging trends in NOVELA's estimation of effect suggests that NOVELA may buffer stressful aspects of hospice caregiving. However, further refinement of NOVELA is needed. Supporting HFCGs through supportive educational interventions may reduce distress and anxiety with broad implications for quality improvement.

Cancer care partners' behavioral intention to use autonomy enhancing communication skills during accompanied visits after online skill training.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective is to evaluate an adaptation of the LEAPS skill framework for cancer care partners (CPs) focusing on autonomy enhancing skills and assessed by strong behavioral intention (SBI) to use these skills METHOD: Cancer CPs were recruited through public platforms to view and rate 4 LEAPS cancer-specific narratives and 52 skill demonstration videos, indicate SBI to use demonstrated skills and provide information on skill-related measures. RESULTS: Half of CPs expressed SBI to use an average of 6.5 of 13 LEAPS skills which did not vary by LEAPS communication domains or examples used to demonstrate skills. Significant predictors of SBI include positive ratings of program narratives and past use of LEAPS-related behaviors in the communication domain of shared decision making (SDM). CONCLUSION: CPs indicated SBIs to use multiple autonomy enhancing skills and positively rated program videos after exposure to the brief LEAPS training program. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The brevity of the LEAPS training videos make it possible for users to view an individual cancer-specific narrative and 13 skill demonstrations in roughly 6 min. This ultra-brief training can benefit care partners and the patients they accompany by increasing the likelihood that autonomy enhancing skills are used during accompanied visits.

Preparing Future Medicine Physicians to Care for Cancer Survivors: Project ECHO® in a Novel Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Residency Curriculum.

Cancer survivorship education is limited in residency training. The goal of this pilot curriculum was to teach medicine residents a structured approach to cancer survivorship care. During the 2020-2021 academic year, we held eight 45-min sessions in an ambulatory noon conference series for a community family medicine (FM) and internal medicine (IM) residency program. The curriculum used Project ECHO®, an interactive model of tele-education through Zoom video conferencing, to connect trainees with specialists. Each session had a cancer-specific focus (e.g., breast cancer survivorship) and incorporated a range of core survivorship topics (e.g., surveillance, treatment effects). The session format included a resident case presentation and didactic lecture by an expert discussant. Residents completed pre- and post-curricular surveys to assess for changes in attitude, confidence, practice patterns, and/or knowledge in cancer survivorship care. Of 67 residents, 23/24 FM and 41/43 IM residents participated in the curriculum. Residents attended a mean of 3 sessions. By the end of the curriculum, resident confidence in survivorship topics (surveillance, treatment effects, genetic risk assessment) increased for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers (p < 0.05), and there was a trend toward residents stating they ask patients more often about cancer treatment effects (p = 0.07). Over 90% of residents found various curricular components useful, and over 80% reported that the curriculum would improve their practice of cancer-related testing and treatment-related monitoring. On a 15-question post-curricular knowledge check, the mean correct score was 9.4 (63%). An eight-session curriculum improved resident confidence and perceived ability to provide cancer survivorship care.