Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can be effectively used to uncover the unmet needs of women with cervical cancer for supportive care. Our aim was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of PROM-driven, nurse-led consultations to enhance delivery of supportive care to women with cervical cancer during active anticancer treatment.
A 2-phased, mixed-method prospective study was conducted. Main research variables included feasibility and acceptability parameters of the trialed intervention.
Preconsultation PROM data were collected during 3 consecutive monthly consultations and used by the gynecology cancers nurse specialist (CNS) to deliver personalized supportive care. The problem checklist and Cervical Cancer Concerns Questionnaire were used to aid data collection.
Because of considerable recruitment challenges, a recruitment rate of 27% (3/11 patients) was achieved. Two patients completed all 3 study assessments. Seven in-clinic patient assessments were performed over 6 months. The study participants praised the opportunity for dedicated time for patients to raise concerns and for the CNS to provide sensitive and personalized support.
Women with cervical cancer perceive important benefits from participating in PROM-driven, time-protected sessions with their CNS. Our findings provide tentative evidence to support the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention model and warrant future confirmation.
- Use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to identify the unmet needs of women with cervical cancer is acceptable and must be implemented from the point of diagnosis.
- Cancer nurse specialists (CNS) are receptive to and able to act on PROM information, rendering them key professionals in addressing the supportive care needs of people with cancer.
- Women with cervical cancer perceive important benefits from participating in PROM-driven, time-protected, and private sessions with their CNS.
Author Affiliations: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (Dr Kotronoulas), Professor of Digital Health and Care (Dr Maguire), Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow; Cancer Nurse Specialist (Ms O’Brien), Wishaw General Hospital, Scotland; and Nurse Consultant Cancer Care (Simpson), NHS Lanarkshire, UK.
The present work was supported through a grant awarded by NHS Lanarkshire. The views presented in this article are those of the authors not of the funding body.
All authors have equally contributed to the preparation of this article.
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Correspondence: Grigorios Kotronoulas, PhD, MSc, BSN, RN, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Livingstone Tower, 26 Richmond Street, Glasgow, G1 1XH, United Kingdom (g.kotronoulas@surrey.ac.uk).
