e-TC is an online intervention designed to address common psychosocial concerns of testicular cancer survivors. It aims to reduce anxiety, depression and fear of cancer recurrence by providing evidence-based information and psychological intervention. This paper details the development and pilot testing of e-TC. During pilot testing, 25 men (with varying psychological profiles) who had completed treatment for testicular cancer, 6 months to 5 years ago (which had not recurred), used e-TC over a 10-week period and provided quantitative and qualitative feedback on the feasibility and acceptability of the programme. Six men also completed a qualitative interview to provide detailed feedback on their experiences using e-TC. Fourteen men (56%) completed at least 80% of the programme. Participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the programme. Men's limited time was a barrier to programme use and completion, and participants suggested that men with a more recent diagnosis and a higher level of distress may be more likely to engage with the programme. e-TC appears to be a feasible and acceptable online intervention for survivors of testicular cancer. Findings from this study are currently being used to refine e-TC and guide the design of a larger efficacy study.
European journal of cancer care. 2017 May 22 [Epub ahead of print]
L E Heiniger, A B Smith, I Olver, P Grimison, B Klein, A Wootten, J-A M Abbott, M A Price, M McJannett, B Tran, M R Stockler, H Gurney, P N Butow
Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG), The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia., Centre for Biopsychosocial and eHealth Research and Innovation, Federation University, Ballarat, Vic., Australia., Faculty of Health, Arts & Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Vic., Australia., The Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate (ANZUP) Cancer Trials Group, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.