TEAMWork App for Breast Cancer
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
+16 other locations
Age: 18+
Sex: Female
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Disqualifiers: Stage 0, Stage IV, Metastases, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
The purpose of this study is learn more about how being treated for breast cancer affects patients' employment. Researchers are testing an early version of a mobile app designed to help breast cancer patients keep their jobs during and after treatment. The app provides advice for patients to use when having conversations about breast cancer with their employers and their doctors. The app is called TEAMWork (Talking to Employers And Medical staff about Work). In this study, the investigators are asking breast cancer patients who are about to receive treatment or who are currently receiving treatment to tell us what aspects of the app work well, so that they can learn how to improve it.
Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the TEAMWork App for Breast Cancer treatment?
Research shows that teamwork training, like the TEAMWork App, can improve communication and collaboration in healthcare settings, which is crucial for patient safety and effective care. Studies on similar teamwork programs, such as TeamSTEPPS, have demonstrated improved communication and teamwork among healthcare professionals, suggesting potential benefits for patients using the TEAMWork App.12345
Is the TEAMWork App safe for use in humans?
The TEAMWork App, also known as TeamSTEPPS, has been shown to improve teamwork and communication in healthcare settings, which are important for patient safety. It is considered a practical and low-cost approach to enhancing safety, with evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing errors and improving outcomes in various healthcare environments.36789
How does the TEAMWork App treatment for breast cancer differ from other treatments?
The TEAMWork App for breast cancer is unique because it leverages mobile technology to engage patients throughout their cancer journey, offering support and remote monitoring, which is not typically available with traditional treatments. This app-based approach can improve access to information and help manage treatment-related symptoms, providing a novel way to support patients beyond standard medical care.1011121314
Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for breast cancer patients aged 18-64, who are currently employed and about to start or already receiving chemotherapy for stage I-III breast cancer. They must be able to give consent in English or Spanish, have a smartphone, and be comfortable using it. Excluded are those with stage 0 (DCIS only) or stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer, those with recurrent metastatic disease, and participants in related social determinants of health studies.Inclusion Criteria
I am a woman.
I can give informed consent in English or Spanish.
Patient Usability Testing Inclusion Criteria: Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
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Exclusion Criteria
My breast cancer is not just in the ducts (not stage 0).
My breast cancer has not spread to distant parts of my body.
RCT Exclusion Criteria: Participants or family members who are participating in MSK IHCD studies related to social determinants of health
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Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Participants use the TEAMWork app or receive an information booklet to help manage employment during breast cancer treatment
2 years
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for employment status and effectiveness of the app in improving communication and job retention
4-8 weeks
Treatment Details
Interventions
- Information Booklet (Behavioural Intervention)
- TEAMWork App (Behavioural Intervention)
Trial OverviewThe study tests the TEAMWork App against an information booklet. The app aims to help breast cancer patients manage their employment during treatment by providing advice on communicating with employers and medical staff about work-related needs.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: TEAMWork AppExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The 2-pronged approach of the intervention is operationalized through 2 menus, 1 focused on interactions with the employer and the other with the clinic team. Each menu has a list of features from which participants can choose to learn about a particular topic. A "My notes" button allows participants to take notes directly on the app. These notes will not be available to the research team, such that participants may use the tool without concerns about privacy. The workplace accommodations menu includes sample videos using trained actors to demonstrate how to approach an employer to request accommodations. Additional features include suggestions for accommodations that may be helpful, templates for letters participants can use when requesting accommodations, links to relevant websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for lawyers and firms that provide pro bono assistance.
Group II: Information Booklet (control)Active Control1 Intervention
Participants will receive a booklet that includes the information in the app that can practicably be converted to paper. These participants will not have access to the multimedia aspects of the intervention, such as the videos, but they will have all of the relevant information in the app described above, including suggestions for accommodations, written templates for letters, links to websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for pro bono legal assistance. The booklet will also contain information about chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, recommendations for management of common symptoms, and advice for communicating with the clinic team. The information booklet will be provided entirely on paper, although participants may independently access websites recommended in the booklet. The booklet content will mirror the app with regard to cultural responsiveness and appropriateness for different job types and characteristics.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention (Consent and Follow-up)New York, NY
Bellevue Hospital Center (Data Collection Only)New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering WestchesterHarrison, NY
Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and PreventionNew York, NY
More Trial Locations
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterLead Sponsor
References
The You CAN campaign: teamwork training for patients and families in ambulatory oncology. [2019]Health care organizations have begun to adapt high-performance teamwork training techniques from aviation to clinical environments. Oncology care is often delivered in multispecialty teams and with the patient's and family's active involvement. To examine the potential value of a patient-oriented teamwork intervention, a teamwork training initiative for oncology patients and their families was developed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Improving Daily Patient Goal-Setting and Team Communication: The Liber8 Glass Door Project. [2023]To develop and implement a tool to improve daily patient goal setting, team collaboration and communication.
Promoting Patient Safety: Results of a TeamSTEPPS® Initiative. [2016]Teamwork is an essential component of communication in a safety-oriented culture. The Joint Commission has identified poor communication as one of the leading causes of patient sentinel events. The aim of this quality improvement project was to design, implement, and evaluate a customized TeamSTEPPS® training program. After implementation, staff perception of teamwork and communication improved. The data support that TeamSTEPPS is a practical, effective, and low-cost patient safety endeavor.
Impact of TeamSTEPPS on patient safety culture in a Swiss maternity ward. [2021]To assess the impact of implementation of the TeamSTEPPS teamwork improvement concept on patient safety culture.
Practice and quality improvement: successful implementation of TeamSTEPPS tools into an academic interventional ultrasound practice. [2014]The goal of this study was to implement an evidence-based teamwork system to improve communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals (TeamSTEPPS) into an academic interventional ultrasound program and to assess safety and team-work climate across team members both before and after implementation.
Teamwork: building healthier workplaces and providing safer patient care. [2022]A changing healthcare landscape requires nurses to care for more patients with higher acuity during their shift than ever before. These more austere working conditions are leading to increased burnout. In addition, patient safety is not of the quality or level that is required. To build healthier workplaces where safe care is provided, formal teamwork training is recommended. Formal teamwork training programs, such as that provided by the MedTeams group, TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety), or participatory action research programs such as the Healthy Workplace Intervention, have decreased errors in the workplace, increased nurse satisfaction and retention rates, and decreased staff turnover. This article includes necessary determinants of teamwork, brief overviews of team-building programs, and examples of research programs that demonstrate how teamwork brings about healthier workplaces that are safer for patients. Teamwork programs can bring about these positive results when implemented and supported by the hospital system.
Impact of TeamSTEPPS Training With Rural Hospital Staff: A Quality Improvement Project. [2023]Teamwork and communication are critical components to patient safety and reducing clinical errors. TeamSTEPPS is a successful team-training program evaluated by many health care settings; however, there are limited data on its use in small, rural hospitals.
The TeamSTEPPS Approach to Safety and Quality. [2022]Despite advances in patient safety since the landmark Institute of Medicine Report To Err is Human was published, adverse events and medical errors remain a persistent problem throughout health care. Safety experts have examined the practices in high-risk industries that maintain outstanding safety records for strategies to address the problem. Those efforts led to the development of Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), a patient safety program that incorporates the principles of crew resource management and teamwork successfully used by industry into the health care setting. Evidence supports that the knowledge, skills, and attitudes, that comprise the core of TeamSTEPPS program, can improve safety and outcomes when used by members of the health care team. Successful implementation should assist the transition of health care workers from functioning as individual experts to performing as members of expert teams.
Observed and self-perceived teamwork in a rapid response team. [2015]Teamwork and communication between healthcare workers are vital for patient safety in the high-risk environment of health care. The purpose of this descriptive study was to measure the teamwork among members of the rapid response team (RRT) to design teamwork communication training for team members. Data were collected via live observation of RRT events and from RRT team member ratings of teamwork during events.
A Mobile App (AMOR Mama) for Women With Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy: Functionality and Usability Study. [2021]Mobile apps targeting women with breast cancer can facilitate access to information, improve well-being, and record reports of treatment-related symptoms. However, it is important to confirm the benefits of these apps before they are used as a tool in clinical care.
Content, Usability, and Utilization of Plain Language in Breast Cancer Mobile Phone Apps: A Systematic Analysis. [2023]Breast cancer is one of the leading contributors to preventable illness and death among women. Although mobile phone apps provide unprecedented opportunity to engage women along the cancer continuum, little is known about the availability, content, and usability of breast cancer mobile phone apps.
Mobile Applications Available in Germany Supporting Breast Cancer Patients During Treatment and Aftercare: a Systematic Review. [2023]Purpose Systematic evaluation of health apps designed to support and aid remote monitoring of patients during breast cancer treatment and aftercare. Method A systematic search and assessment of apps was conducted using search terms: breast cancer; breast cancer therapy; and breast cancer aftercare. Evaluation criteria were user assessments, scientifically published benefits, user-friendliness, data protection, app individualization, motivation, and financial aspects. Up to two points (P) could be awarded per criterion. The lowest possible score was 0P and the maximum was 28P. Three examiners from different institutions independently assessed the apps according to the specified criteria. Reference value was defined as the average value given by the examiners. Apps with > 18P were classified as "recommended"; ≥ 11-≤ 18P as "partially recommended" and ≤ 10P as "not recommended". Results A total of 776 apps (n = 24 from the Apple App Store, n = 752 from the Google Play Store) were identified via search query. After applying exclusion criteria, 36 apps (n = 1 from the Apple App Store; n = 35 from the Google Play Store) were evaluated. Using the mean point values of the examiners, 20 apps were classified as not recommended and 12 as partially recommended (≥ 11-≤ 18P). Four apps were rated partially recommended by two examiners and recommended by one examiner. Three apps were rated as recommended by all examiners. Conclusion Only a small minority of available apps meet recommendation criteria. Use of these apps may benefit breast cancer patients.
Breast cancer-related apps in Google Play and App store: evaluate their functionality and quality. [2023]This study aimed to evaluate the functionality and quality of breast cancer apps that can be accessed from Turkey.
Smartphone apps for cancer: A content analysis of the digital health marketplace. [2022]The purpose of this study was to examine the state of smartphone applications for cancer intended for the general public with a focus on interactive features, content sources, and application developer affiliations. The level of health provider involvement in screening or appraising application content was also assessed.