Staying Healthy With Follow-up Care: A Mobile Chatbot Feasibility Study for AYA Cancer Survivors

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Survivorship
• Interventions: Behavioral: Penny

• Registration Number: NCT05863702
• Lead Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Brief Summary

The purpose of this project is to identify effective strategies to assist survivors of childhood and young adult cancers (diagnosed between birth and age 39) who have not returned for follow-up cancer care for 3 or more years, to reengage with the health care system. The investigator will evaluate the effect of a novel, bidirectional conversational agent ("Penny"), compared to usual care, to assist patients with scheduling appointments, lab work as well as scans and specialty appointments as needed.

Detailed Description

To achieve this, the investigator will use a two-arm randomized controlled trial to explore how multilevel factors impact the acceptability and effectiveness of this strategy by collecting qualitative and quantitative data from patients. Penny is a conversational agent ("chatbot") that engages patients in real time via text messaging, allowing for bidirectional communication and motivational cues to promote adherence. The chatbot will assist patients who have not been see for cancer follow-up care, with scheduling follow-up appointments, labs, scans, specialty appointments, and monitor compliance with the appointments made.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-04-24
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-05-16
• Study First Posted: 2023-05-18
• Study Start: 2023-09-11
• Status Verified: 2024-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-07-09
• Last Update Posted: 2024-07-10
• Primary Completion: 2025-02-28
• Study Completion: 2025-05-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult patient (age > 18 years), male or female, diagnosed with cancer as a child or as a young adult, between birth and 39 years of age
• Patient possession of a mobile device that can receive SMS texts
• Ability to respond to questions and engage with "Penny" in English
• Ability to provide informed consent to participate in the study
• Approval of the patient's oncology care team for the patient to be involved in the study

Exclusion Criteria

• Anyone who does not meet the inclusion criteria
• Patients with a history of thyroid cancer or skin cancers

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Penny text-messaging program	Penny	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
To evaluate the utilization of a chatbot (Penny) to increase receipt of evidence-based survivorship care in YA survivors of pediatric and YA cancers	1 year	We will identify adult survivors of pediatric and YA cancers who have not been seen for follow-up care \>3 years and evaluate patients' engagement with Penny to schedule return appointments and adhere to recommended life-long ongoing follow-up care according to the NCCN guidelines. Patients will be monitored over a 16-week period to see if they scheduled a follow-up care appointment.
Number of patients who agree to use Penny and patient engagement overtime in those patients randomized to the Penny arm	1 year	Total number of patients who engage with Penny throughout the study, schedule and are compliant with appointments, scans, labs, and referrals to other services made at each clinical visit

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States