Abstract 245P
Background
Information needs (IN) in breast cancer (BC) patients have been one the most unsatisfied. Patients at different stages in the disease trajectory request more information about their diagnosis, treatments, and side effects, among other aspects. This study aimed to explore the acceptability and perceived utility of informative multidisciplinary virtual sessions in the IN of Mexican patients with BC.
Methods
Patients with BC were invited by text message to participate in virtual sessions. The list of topics for these sessions was based on the IN reported in the literature. An online questionnaire was designed to evaluate our objective, and it was completed at the end of each session. The virtual sessions were made synchronously via Zoom for one hour: during the first 30 minutes, by an expert in breast cancer (specialist doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, among others) in BC addressed the issue; in the next 30 minutes, all questions of the patients were answered.
Results
27 sessions were conducted for seven months, with 289 assistants, of which 77% answered the questionnaire. 88% of the patients reported the sessions as “very useful”. The overall assessment of each session was, on average, highly rated (9.79/10, SD= .53). Topics related to diagnosis and treatment were the highest rated concerning acceptability, followed by the impact of BC on daily life and coping strategies. The coping styles session was rated as a more useful subject, followed by cancer diagnosis and treatment sessions.
Conclusions
The high acceptability and usefulness of multidisciplinary virtual sessions indicates that providing information by this format is suitable, acceptable, and feasible to optimize IN of Mexican patients with BC.
Legal entity responsible for the study
Dr. Carmen Lizette Gálvez Hernández.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.