Evaluation of an Online Platform for Cancer Patient Self-reporting of Chemotherapy Toxicities

• Published in: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA 2007-05, Vol.14 (3), p.264-268
• Main Authors: Basch, Ethan, Artz, David, Iasonos, Alexia, Speakman, John, Shannon, Kevin, Lin, Kai, Pun, Charmaine, Yong, Henry, Fearn, Paul, Barz, Allison, Scher, Howard I., McCabe, Mary, Schrag, Deborah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Application of Information Technology; Electronic Mail; Feasibility Studies; Humans; Internet; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Online Systems; Patient Satisfaction; Self Care; Surveys and Questionnaires; User-Computer Interface
• ISSN: 1067-5027; 1527-974X
• DOI: 10.1197/jamia.M2177

The current mechanism for monitoring toxicity symptoms in cancer trials depends on a complex paper-based process. Electronic collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may be more efficient and accurate. An online PRO platform was created including a simple data entry interface, real-time report generation, and an alert system to e-mail clinicians when patients self-report serious toxicities. Feasibility assessment involving 180 chemotherapy patients demonstrated high levels of use at up to 40 follow-up clinic visits per patient over 16 months (85% of patients at any given visit), with high levels of patient and clinician acceptance and satisfaction (>95%). Alerts were used as the basis for delayed chemotherapy treatments, dose modifications, and scheduling changes. These results demonstrate that online patient-reporting is a feasible strategy for chemotherapy toxicity symptom monitoring, and may improve safety and satisfaction with care. Ongoing multi-center research will evaluate the impact of this approach on clinical and administrative outcomes.