TY - JOUR
T1 - Telehealth Delivery of a Multi-Disciplinary Rehabilitation Programme for Upper Gastro-Intestinal Cancer
T2 - ReStOre@Home Feasibility Study
AU - Brennan, Louise
AU - Sadeghi, Fatemeh
AU - O’neill, Linda
AU - Guinan, Emer
AU - Smyth, Laura
AU - Sheill, Grainne
AU - Smyth, Emily
AU - Doyle, Suzanne L.
AU - Timon, Claire M.
AU - Connolly, Deirdre
AU - O’sullivan, Jacintha
AU - Reynolds, John V.
AU - Hussey, Juliette
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/6/1
Y1 - 2022/6/1
N2 - Background: Telehealth has enabled access to rehabilitation throughout the pandemic. We assessed the feasibility of delivering a multi-disciplinary, multi-component rehabilitation programme (ReStOre@Home) to cancer survivors via telehealth. Methods: This single-arm mixed methods feasibility study recruited participants who had completed curative treatment for oesophago-gastric cancer for a 12-week telehealth rehabilitation programme, involving group resistance training, re-motely monitored aerobic training, one-to-one dietetic counselling, one-to-one support calls and group education. The primary outcome was feasibility, measured by recruitment rates, attendance, retention, incidents, acceptability, Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) and analysis of semi-structured interviews. Results: Characteristics of the twelve participants were: 65.42 ± 7.24 years; 11 male; 10.8 ± 3.9 months post-op; BMI 25.61 ± 4.37; received neoadjuvant chemotherapy 7/12; received adjuvant chemotherapy 4/12; hospital length of stay 16 days (median). Recruitment rate was 32.4%, and retention rate was 75%. Mean attendance was: education 90%; dietetics 90%; support calls 84%; resistance training 78%. Mean TUQ score was 4.69/5. Adaptations to the planned resistance training programme were required. Participants reported that ReStOre@Home enhanced physical and psychological wellbeing, and online delivery was convenient. Some reported a preference for in-person contact but felt that the online group sessions provided adequate peer support. Conclusion: Telehealth delivery of ReStOre@Home was most feasible in individuals with moderate to high levels of digital skills. Low level of digitals skills was a barrier to recruitment and retention. Participants reported high levels of programme adherence and participant satisfaction. Adaptations to future programmes, including introducing elements of in-person contact, are required.
AB - Background: Telehealth has enabled access to rehabilitation throughout the pandemic. We assessed the feasibility of delivering a multi-disciplinary, multi-component rehabilitation programme (ReStOre@Home) to cancer survivors via telehealth. Methods: This single-arm mixed methods feasibility study recruited participants who had completed curative treatment for oesophago-gastric cancer for a 12-week telehealth rehabilitation programme, involving group resistance training, re-motely monitored aerobic training, one-to-one dietetic counselling, one-to-one support calls and group education. The primary outcome was feasibility, measured by recruitment rates, attendance, retention, incidents, acceptability, Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) and analysis of semi-structured interviews. Results: Characteristics of the twelve participants were: 65.42 ± 7.24 years; 11 male; 10.8 ± 3.9 months post-op; BMI 25.61 ± 4.37; received neoadjuvant chemotherapy 7/12; received adjuvant chemotherapy 4/12; hospital length of stay 16 days (median). Recruitment rate was 32.4%, and retention rate was 75%. Mean attendance was: education 90%; dietetics 90%; support calls 84%; resistance training 78%. Mean TUQ score was 4.69/5. Adaptations to the planned resistance training programme were required. Participants reported that ReStOre@Home enhanced physical and psychological wellbeing, and online delivery was convenient. Some reported a preference for in-person contact but felt that the online group sessions provided adequate peer support. Conclusion: Telehealth delivery of ReStOre@Home was most feasible in individuals with moderate to high levels of digital skills. Low level of digitals skills was a barrier to recruitment and retention. Participants reported high levels of programme adherence and participant satisfaction. Adaptations to future programmes, including introducing elements of in-person contact, are required.
KW - exercise
KW - feasibility
KW - nutrition
KW - rehabilitation
KW - survivorship
KW - telehealth
KW - upper gastro-intestinal cancer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131698116&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/cancers14112707
DO - 10.3390/cancers14112707
M3 - Article
SN - 2072-6694
VL - 14
JO - Cancers
JF - Cancers
IS - 11
M1 - 2707
ER -