Development of a digital patient education tool for patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large portion of oncology consultations have been conducted remotely. The maladaptation or compromise of care could negatively impact oncology patients and their disease management. Objective: We aimed to describe the development and implementation process of a web-based, animated patient education tool that supports oncology patients remotely in the context of fewer in-person interactions with health care providers. Methods: The platform created presents multilingual oncology care instructions. Animations concerning cancer care and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as immunotherapy and chemotherapy guides were the major areas of focus and represented 6 final produced video guides. Results: The videos were watched 1244 times in a period of 6 months. The most watched animation was the COVID-19 & Oncology guide (viewed 565 times), followed by the video concerning general treatment orientations (viewed 249 times) and the video titled “Chemotherapy” (viewed 205 times). Although viewers were equally distributed among the age groups, most were aged 25 to 34 years (342/1244, 27.5%) and were females (745/1244, 59.9%). Conclusions: The implementation of a patient education platform can be designed to prepare patients and their caregivers for their treatment and thus improve outcomes and satisfaction by using a methodical and collaborative approach. Multimedia tools allow a portion of a patient's care to occur in a home setting, thereby freeing them from the need for hospital resources.