Leading cancers contributing to educational disparities in cancer mortality in the US, 2017

Journal article

Considered the 6th vital sign, distress, a combination of hopelessness, anxiety, fear, and depression, can impact patients’ quality of life, treatment adherence, and mortality. While screening is required in oncological centers, distress remains under-detected. This study examined the use of Icanfeel, a novel digital art-based tool, to complement traditional psychometric assessments such as Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), to support patients’ expressions of symptoms and distress detection. Hospitalized adult oncological patients (N = 22) engaged twice with Icanfeel and with an active control condition. At various time points during the protocol, patients self-reported symptom burden using ESAS, self-disclosure using the Distress Disclosure Index, and distress intensity using the Distress-Thermometer and Problem-List. In terms of feasibility, 80% of participants rated their use of Icanfeel positively and as accessible. Quantitatively, distress disclosure remained unchanged but a statistically significant reduction in reported symptom burden following Icanfeel sessions was observed (p \u3c 0.001, effect size = 0.96). Qualitative findings highlighted the diverse ways patients used images as metaphors to articulate symptoms, with text/audio data categorized into adaptive, maladaptive, and neutral emotions. The novel integration of a scalable art-based intervention with standardized symptom assessments offered a nuanced understanding of distress expression. Limitations included a small and homogenous sample precluding generalization of results. Future research should expand the sample size and diversity, incorporate technological refinements such as AI-generated personalized imagery, and assess long-term effects on self-disclosure. Icanfeel aligns with trends in digitalized health and patient-centered innovation, emphasizing the importance of patient-reported outcomes in improving quality of care

Authors: Withrow, DR; Freedman, ND; Gibson, JT; Yu, M; Nápoles, AM

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Cancer Causes and Control
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 1193-1196
• Publication date: 2021-07-09
• DOI: 10.1007/s10552-021-01471-9
• EISSN: 1573-7225
• ISSN: 0957-5243
• Language: English
• Keywords: Medicine; Bachelor; Public health; Demography; Lung cancer; Cause of death; Educational attainment; Gerontology; Disease; Cancer; Internal medicine; Epidemiology; Mortality rate; Death certificate; Pathology