Project Description
Psychological Intervention Mobile Application (App) to Promote Coping in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The
goal of this study is to test a multicomponent, mobile tablet psychological
intervention application (app) for patients with a new diagnosis of acute
myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients newly diagnosed with AML confront a sudden and
life-threatening diagnosis, requiring an immediate disruption of their life and
an urgent 4-6 week hospitalization to initiate intensive chemotherapy. During
this hospitalization, they endure substantial physical symptoms, which
negatively impacts their quality of life (QOL). Patients also experience
significant psychological distress as they struggle with the abrupt onset of
illness, uncertainty regarding their prognosis, and physical and social
isolation during hospitalization. Despite the psychological sequelae patients
with AML experience, studies investigating the efficacy of psychological
interventions addressing the needs of this population are lacking.
We
secured funding to develop a multicomponent, mobile tablet psychological
intervention app, which consists of 1) supportive psychotherapy to address
initial shock of diagnosis, cope with the loss of independence, and provide
reassurance; 2) psychoeducation to enhance preparedness and manage
expectations; 3) psychosocial skill-building component to facilitate acceptance
while living with uncertainty; and 4) self-care component to enhance patients’
sense of self control. The proposed project will proceed in two phases using
mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. During phase 1, we will refine the
psychological intervention app based on an open pilot study of 5-7 patients
with new diagnosis of AML. During the second phase, we will conduct a pilot
randomized controlled trial of the intervention versus usual care in 60
patients with a new diagnosis of AML to assess the feasibility and preliminary
efficacy of the intervention in improving patients’ mood, QOL, symptom burden,
and self-efficacy. Findings from this work will inform an R01-funded trial of a
patient-centered, mobile psychological intervention app that will substantially
enhance the care of patients with AML and has the potential for easy
dissemination.
Bio
Areej El-Jawahri, MD, is
an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Director
of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Survivorship Program at Massachusetts
General Hospital Cancer Center. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical
School and completed her residency training in internal medicine at
Massachusetts General Hospital. She then completed her fellowship
training in medical oncology at the Dana Farber Partners Cancer Care Training
Program. Dr. El-Jawahri’s research interest include investigating
patient-reported outcomes, implementing patient-centered decision-making
interventions, and designing palliative and supportive care interventions to
improve the care of patients with hematologic malignancies and their caregivers.
She is also interested in exploring models of health care delivery to improve
patients’ quality of life and end-of-life care and to enhance their prognostic
awareness.
Email: AEL-JAWAHRI@PARTNERS.ORG