Evaluating a Patient Education Program Designed for Cancer Survivors

University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for the Study of Community Health

Topics:
Cancer

Researchers are evaluating how the American Cancer Society's patient education and support program, I Can Cope (ICC), meets the psychosocial needs and affects the quality of life of cancer survivors. The study will compare the effects of the cancer-specific ICC program with a more general health and wellness program. Participants (180) are primarily low-income, African American men and women for whom cancer of any type has been diagnosed. These participants also live in a county in Alabama where the rate of cancer is the highest in the state and where residents are at higher risk for poorer cancer outcomes than the national population. Research staff are using CDC's Evaluation Framework to determine the effects of the two programs. After a baseline assessment, participants will be asked to respond to two surveys delivered by telephone 2 weeks and 6 months after completing the program. The surveys used will be the Support Care Needs Survey (SCNS) and the Quality of Life — Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT-G). The SCNS measures individual needs related to coping, medical information, and day-to-day living. FACT-G assesses physical, social and family, emotional, and functional well-being.

Researchers expect to determine what kinds of information can be of help to cancer survivors and whether cancer-specific patient education programs meet the needs of the population better than general health education programs do. The potential impact of this work is to improve or create programs to help cancer survivors maintain healthy lifestyles, access needed medical and non-medical services, achieve a good quality of life, and prevent further health consequences.

 

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