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Implementation and User Experience of a Remote Symptom Monitoring System for Cancer Survivors on Oral Anti-Cancer Therapy: The SYMON Study
Location: 45
Mentor: Ms. Grey Freylersythe
With the increasing use of oral anti-cancer medications, cancer survivors are frequently responsible for managing treatment-related symptoms outside of clinical settings. The Symptom Management During Oral Anti-Cancer Treatment (SYMON) study was designed to address this need by evaluating a remote symptom monitoring system for cancer survivors receiving oral anti-cancer therapy. This preliminary analysis examines the accessibility, involvement, and user experience of the SYMON study by assessing participant engagement with the intervention and study staff interaction with the study platform. SYMON uses My Wellness Research (MWR), an automated telephone-based platform that collects real-time Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) using the Patient Reported Outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) to guide the delivery of a 17-week symptom monitoring intervention in English and Spanish. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess user participation through MWR and REDCap, while qualitative interviews were conducted with study staff involved in study implementation. To date, 50 participants have enrolled, completing 64 assessments (42 baseline, 22 follow-up). Baseline calls lasted 30–40 minutes, follow-ups 5–10 minutes. Study staff processed 337 provider reports (~30 minutes per report). Qualitative data from research staff was successful with one-to-one training. However, there were technical problems, scheduling conflicts due to automation settings, heavy manual report load, and difficulties with automation. It was suggested that enhancements in automation and language-based survey organization improve efficiency. These preliminary findings suggest that the SYMON study's remote symptom monitoring system is accessible and supports participant engagement while also highlighting areas for improvement in study implementation.
