JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Effective patient-provider communication is an important condition to deliver optimal care and it supports patients in coping with their disease. The complex and emotionally loaded setting of oncology care challenges both healthcare providers and patients in reaching effective communication. ListeningTime is developed for elderly cancer patients and their oncological healthcare providers to help them (better) prepare the clinical encounter and overcome communication barriers. ListeningTime is a web-based preparatory communication tool including modeling videos and has an audio-facility to listen back to recorded encounters.

Objective:

To evaluate the usability, perceived usefulness and actual use of ListeningTime, through the eyes of elderly cancer patients and their oncological healthcare providers. If evaluated positively, the ultimate goal is to make ListeningTime publicly available.

Methods:

First, members of a panel of elderly (ex-)cancer patients (≥ 65 years) were approached to evaluate ListeningTime via an online questionnaire. Usability and perceived usefulness were assessed. Second, ListeningTime was evaluated in real-life practice through a pilot study in three Dutch hospitals. In these hospitals, elderly cancer patients and their oncological healthcare providers were approached to evaluate ListeningTime via a similar online questionnaires, measuring perceived usefulness. Additionally, we examined log files and user statistics to get insight in how the program was used.

Results:

Thirty (ex-)cancer patients from the patient panel, and seventeen patients and eight healthcare providers from the hospitals, evaluated ListeningTime. Overall, both the panel members and the hospital patients were positive about the ListeningTime website, the audio-facility and the video fragments. Some patients suggested improvements with respect to the actors’ performances in the video fragments and believed that ListeningTime is mainly suitable for non-experienced patients. Healthcare providers were also positive about ListeningTime. They valued the video fragments for patients and the audio-facility for patients and themselves. However, providers did not listen back to their own recorded encounters. Patients did use the audio-facility to listen back to their encounters.

Conclusions:

ListeningTime was evaluated positively, both by patients and their oncological healthcare providers. As a result, the video fragments of ListeningTime are now made publicly available for elderly cancer patients through the Dutch website ‘kanker.nl’.