Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System Research Articles

Associations of stigma, loneliness, and treatment self-regulation with HIV medication adherence among individuals with substance use disorder using a mobile health application

IntroductionMedication adherence contributes to poor HIV outcomes, especially among people with HIV and Substance use disorder (SUD). Mobile health applications have been leveraged to improve behavioral health outcomes among this population. Our cross-sectional study examined the relationship between medication adherence with factors such as treatment self-regulation, isolation, and internalized stigma, among people with HIV and SUD using the Addiction Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) mobile app.MethodsA sample of 208 participants using A-CHESS to improve treatment adherence completed a survey. Adherence was measured using the Four-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and dichotomized (maximum score of 20 points considered as adherent). Positive and negative affect was measured separately using Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule and loneliness was measured using UCLA three-item Loneliness Scale. Internalized stigma was measured using Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale. Competence/Treatment self-regulation was measured using Treatment Self-regulation Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations of affect, treatment self-regulation, isolation, and internalized stigma, with adherence to antiretroviral therapy adjusting for age, education, and gender.ResultsAmong 208 participants in this study, most were Black (n = 137; 66%), male (n = 156; 75%) and had a mean age of 46 (standard deviation = 11.3). The most reported substances associated with missing HIV medication were alcohol (27%) and cocaine/crack (20%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that internalized stigma was significantly associated with HIV medication adherence (OR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70–0.99; p = 0.034).ConclusionInternalized stigma was significantly associated with HIV medication adherence. Further research is needed to better understand this relationship and develop interventions addressing stigma in people with HIV and SUD.

Couple-Focused Smartphone Intervention to Reduce Problem Drinking: Pilot Randomized Control Trial.

Alcohol use disorder is among the most pervasive substance use disorders in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence of 30%. Recommended treatment options include evidence-based behavioral interventions; smartphone-based interventions confer a number of benefits such as portability, continuous access, and stigma avoidance; and research suggests that interventions involving couples may outperform those for patients only. In this context, a behavioral intervention delivered to couples through smartphones may serve as an effective adjunct to alcohol use disorder treatment. This pilot study aimed to (1) evaluate the feasibility of comparing a patient-only (Addiction version of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System; A-CHESS) versus a couple-focused (Partner version of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System; Partner-CHESS) eHealth app for alcohol misuse delivered by smartphone, (2) assess perceptions about and use of the 2 apps, and (3) examine initial indications of differences in primary clinical outcomes between patient groups using the 2 apps. Broadly, these aims serve to assess the feasibility of the study protocol for a larger randomized controlled trial. A total of 33 romantic couples were randomized to 6 months of A-CHESS app use (active treatment control) or Partner-CHESS app use (experimental). Couples comprised a patient with current alcohol use disorder (25/33, 76% male) and a romantic partner (26/33, 79% female). Patients and partners in both arms completed outcome measure surveys at 0, 2, 4, and 6 months. Primary outcomes were patients' percentage of days with heavy drinking and percentage of days with any drinking, measured by timeline follow back. Secondary outcomes included app use and perceptions, and multiple psychosocial variables. At 6 months, 78% (14/18) of Partner-CHESS patients and 73% (11/15) of A-CHESS patients were still using the intervention. The apps were rated helpful on a 5-point scale (1=not at all helpful, 5=extremely helpful) by 89% (29/33) of both Partner-CHESS patients (mean 3.7, SD 1) and partners (mean 3.6, SD 0.9) and by 87% (13/15) of A-CHESS patients (mean 3.1, SD 0.9). At 6 months, Partner-CHESS patients had a nonsignificantly lower percentage of days with heavy drinking compared with A-CHESS patients (β=-17.4, 95% CI -36.1 to 1.4; P=.07; Hedges g=-0.53), while the percentage of drinking days was relatively equal between patient groups (β=-2.1, 95% CI -24.8 to 20.7; P=.85; Hedges g=-0.12). Initial results support the feasibility of evaluating patient-only and couple-focused, smartphone-based interventions for alcohol misuse. Results suggest that both interventions are perceived as helpful and indicate maintained engagement of most participants for 6 months. A future, fully powered trial is warranted to evaluate the relative effectiveness of both interventions. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04059549; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04059549.

Using causal mediation to examine self-efficacy as a mechanism through which continuing care interventions reduce alcohol use.

Understanding the causal mechanisms through which telephone and mobile health continuing care approaches reduce alcohol use can help develop more efficient interventions that effectively target these mechanisms. Self-efficacy for successfully coping with high-risk alcohol relapse situations is a theoretically and empirically supported mediator of alcohol treatment. This secondary analysis aims to examine self-efficacy as a mechanism through which remote-delivered continuing care interventions reduce alcohol use. The study included 262 adults (Mage = 46.9, SD = 7.4) who had completed 3 weeks of an intensive outpatient alcohol treatment program. The sample was predominantly male (71%), African American (82%), and completed a high school education (71%). The four-arm randomized clinical trial compared three active continuing care interventions (telephone monitoring and counseling [TMC], addiction comprehensive health enhancement support system [ACHESS], and combined delivery of TMC and ACHESS) to usual care and assessed longitudinal measures of alcohol use and self-efficacy. Analyses employed the potential outcomes framework and sensitivity analyses to address threats to causal inference resulting from an observed mediator variable. Relative to usual care, the two intervention conditions that included TMC reduced alcohol use through improvements to self-efficacy. There was no evidence that self-efficacy mediated the effect of ACHESS on alcohol use. Based on our findings, self-efficacy is an important mechanism through which telephone continuing care interventions affect alcohol use. Future research to identify which components of TMC influence self-efficacy and factors that mediate ACHESS effects could enhance the effectiveness of remote delivery of continuing care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient Preferences for Mobile Health Applications to Support Recovery.

Smartphone apps to support individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) are increasingly available. Although many people with SUDs express interest in recovery support apps, few try them or use them long-term. Strategies like gamification and contingency management are increasingly being considered to sustain engagement. This study sought to describe features of a recovery support app called the Addiction version of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) that are most used by individuals in SUD recovery and what makes individuals more likely to use these apps. A total of 202 people with A-CHESS accounts completed an online survey assessing their experiences using A-CHESS between April and June 2021. We described app features reported to be most beneficial for managing anxiety, loneliness, and isolation during COVID-19; reasons for not using A-CHESS; and suggested app features for future recovery support apps. Respondents had a mean age of 41 years, 85% were White, and 61% were female. Respondents reported that app features related to messaging (ie, open discussion boards and private messaging) and informational or motivational resources were the most useful for managing isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. Reasons for not using A-CHESS were not knowing how to use the app and the app not being part of a personalized treatment plan. The most common suggested components for future apps were rewards for meeting goals and a support meeting locator. Ensuring that health apps are intuitive and include features that appeal to patients and educating patients about features apps already include that help them meet goals may enhance engagement with recovery apps.

Digital approaches to continuing care.

To provide an update of studies on the effectiveness of digital and telephonic approaches to providing remote continuing care for substance use disorders. Effective continuing care can be provided via smartphone apps, text messaging, interactive voice response, and structured telephone counseling. The remote continuing care interventions with the strongest evidence of efficacy are the Addiction Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System app and Telephone Monitoring and Counseling. Positive effects for these intervention on drinking outcomes in patients with alcohol use disorders were replicated in a recent randomized controlled study. Continuing care is widely believed to be an important component of treatment for substance use disorders, especially for sustaining positive outcomes. However, many individuals do not attend clinic-based continuing care, due to a variety of reasons, including competing work and family responsibilities, disabilities, transportation challenges, and recently the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote continuing care, provided via smartphone apps, text messaging, and various telephonic approaches, has been shown to be effective, and could be used to provide continuing care to patients who would otherwise not receive it. Further work is needed to determine how to effectively combine more traditional continuing care with newer digitized and telephonic approaches.

Efficacy and comparative effectiveness of telephone and smartphone remote continuing care interventions for alcohol use disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Management of alcohol use disorder (AUD) could be enhanced by effective remote treatments. This study tested whether supplementing intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) with continuing care delivered via (1) telephone, (2) smartphone or (3) their combination improves outcomes relative to (4) IOP only. Continuing care conditions were also compared. Randomized controlled trial of four groups with 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 18-month follow-ups. University research center in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Participants (n= 262) met DSM-V criteria for AUD, were largely male (71%) and African American (82%). Telephone monitoring and counseling (TMC; n= 59), addiction comprehensive health enhancement support system (ACHESS; n= 68) and TMC + ACHESS (n= 70) provided for 12 months. The control condition received IOP only (TAU; n= 65). The primary outcome was percentage of days heavy drinking (PDHD) in months 1-12. Secondary outcomes were any drinking, any drug use, drinking consequences and quality of life. Mean PDHD in months 1-12 was 10.29 in TAU, 5.41 in TMC, 6.80 in ACHESS and 5.99 in TMC + ACHESS. PDHD was lower in TMC [Cohen's d = 0.35, P = 0.018, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (-1.42, -0.20)], ACHESS [d = 0.31, P = 0.031, 95% CI = (-1.27, -0.06)] and TMC + ACHESS [d = 0.36, P = 0.009, 95% CI = (-1.40, -0.20)] than in TAU. Differences between TMC + ACHESS, TMC and ACHESS were small (d ≤ 0.06) and non-significant. Findings were inconclusive as to whether or not the treatment conditions differed on PDHD at 18 months. A significant effect was obtained on any drinking, which was higher in months 1-12 in TAU than in TMC [odds ratio (OR) = 3.02, standard error (SE) = 0.43, 95% CI = (1.30, 6.99), P = 0.01] and TMC + ACHESS [OR = 2.43, SE = 0.39, 95% CI = (1.12, 5.27), P = 0.025). No other significant effects were obtained on other secondary outcomes during or after treatment. A telephone-delivered intervention and a smartphone-delivered intervention, alone and in combination, provided effective remote continuing care for alcohol use disorder. The combination of both interventions was not superior to either alone and effects did not persist post-treatment.

NIATx-TI versus typical product training on e-health technology implementation: a clustered randomized controlled trial study protocol

BackgroundSubstance use disorders (SUDs) lead to tens-of-thousands of overdose deaths and other forms of preventable deaths in the USA each year. This results in over $500 billion per year in societal and economic costs as well as a considerable amount of grief for loved ones of affected individuals. Despite these health and societal consequences, only a small percentage of people seek treatment for SUDs, and the majority of those that seek help fail to achieve long-term sobriety. E-health applications in healthcare have proven to be effective at sustaining treatment and reaching patients traditional treatment pathways would have missed. However, e-health adoption and sustainment rates in healthcare are poor, especially in the SUD treatment sector. Implementation engineering can address this gap in the e-health field by augmenting existing implementation models, which explain organizational and individual e-health behaviors retrospectively, with prospective resources that can guide implementation.MethodsThis cluster randomized control trial is designed to test two implementation strategies at adopting an evidence-based mobile e-health technology for SUD treatment. The proposed e-health implementation model is the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment–Technology Implementation (NIATx-TI) Framework. This project, based in Iowa, will compare a control condition (using a typical software product training approach that includes in-person staff training followed by access to on-line support) to software implementation utilizing NIATx-TI, which includes change management training, followed by coaching on how to implement and use the mobile application. While e-health spans many modalities and health disciplines, this project will focus on implementing the Addiction Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS), an evidence-based SUD treatment recovery app framework. This trial will be conducted in Iowa at 46 organizational sites within 12 SUD treatment agencies. The control arm consists of 23 individual treatment sites based at five organizations, and the intervention arm consists of 23 individual SUD treatment sites based at seven organizationsDiscussionThis study addresses an issue of substantial public health significance: enhancing the uptake of the growing inventory of patient-centered evidence-based addiction treatment e-health technologies.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03954184. Posted 17 May 2019

Understanding how e-health interventions meet psychosocial needs of breast cancer patients: The pathways of influence on quality of life and cancer concerns.

This investigation explores how using different e-health interventions facilitates positive psychosocial changes and how these changes reduce cancer concerns and improve quality of life in breast cancer patients over time. A total of 326 breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to one of three e-health interventions: (a) Internet only, (b) the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System information and support services (CHESS-IS), or (c) CHESS with mentor. Proximal health outcomes such as information overload, emotional functioning, and social support were measured alongside distal outcomes like cancer concerns and quality of life. Participants completed surveys at four time points: pretest as a baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Both interventions were effective in improving patient health beyond Internet only but they differed in type of change mechanism and clinical benefit. The CHESS-IS enhanced proximal outcomes at 3 months through improved information competence. The CHESS with mentor intervention reduced breast cancer concerns at 6 months, mediated mainly by emotional-social competence and emotional functioning. Using e-health interventions like CHESS can help patients improve cancer information management skills and emotional functioning, contributing to better short-term health outcomes. Adding a human mentor can enhance the benefits of CHESS use, extending the experience among breast cancer patients. Theoretical, practical, and clinical implications of the study results are discussed.

Trajectories of social resource use among informal lung cancer caregivers.

Social support is a key component in maintaining cancer caregiver well-being, and many resources exist to facilitate caregivers' use of social support (eg, cancer support groups). This study sought to determine how informal cancer caregivers use social resources over the course of caregiving. The data are from the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System study of informal caregivers (n=202) of patients with recently diagnosed lung cancer. Caregivers self-reported their sociodemographic and caregiving characteristics and social resource use over 6months. Generalized additive models were used to assess social resource use over time, and generalized estimating equation logistic regression models were used to assess the correlates of social resource use. Nearly two-thirds of caregivers reported any social resource use. The most prevalent social resources were faith-based groups (38%) and social clubs (30%). Only 1 in 4 caregivers participated in a formal resource such as counseling (11%) or a cancer support group (6%). Social resource use was lowest immediately after the diagnosis and increased over time. Formal resource use exhibited a nonlinear association with time such that formal resource use peaked approximately 9 to 10months after the cancer diagnosis. Caregivers were more likely to report social resource use if the patient also reported social engagement. This study has found that many cancer caregivers do not use social resources, although social resource use increases over time after the cancer diagnosis. Because of the association between social engagement and well-being, this information may inform future research and interventions to improve outcomes for cancer caregivers and their families.

The utility and impact of the addiction comprehensive health enhancement support system (ACHESS) on substance abuse treatment adherence among youth in an intensive outpatient program

Youth experiencing substance use disorders often are susceptible to relapse because traditional support systems can be expensive, geographically dispersed, operated on limited schedules and lacking in peer support. The continuity of care offered via the digital Addiction Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (ACHESS) system holds promise in preventing relapse because of its portability and capability to foster virtually anytime/anywhere, cost-effective access to supportive interventions. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to evaluate the utility and impact of ACHESS on treatment adherence among youth with substance use disorders in an intensive outpatient program in the US Midwest. Data on 28 clients using ACHESS during 2016–17 were compared to retrospective data on 28 carefully-matched others treated without ACHESS during 2014–16. Fifty-four percent of the study group successfully completed treatment as opposed to 42.9% of those in the comparison group. Staff focus group findings highlighted how some features of ACHESS were effectively integrated into the care model and appeared to positively impact outcomes, while other elements of the application offered little utility. We suggest further study of ACHESS among larger samples of youth with substance use disorders in intensive outpatient programs to assess its efficacy in supporting adherence to treatment.

Effects of automated smartphone mobile recovery support and telephone continuing care in the treatment of alcohol use disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundNew smartphone communication technology provides a novel way to provide personalized continuing care support following alcohol treatment. One such system is the Addiction version of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS), which provides a range of automated functions that support patients. A-CHESS improved drinking outcomes over standard continuing care when provided to patients leaving inpatient treatment. Effective continuing care can also be delivered via telephone calls with a counselor. Telephone Monitoring and Counseling (TMC) has demonstrated efficacy in two randomized trials with alcohol-dependent patients. A-CHESS and TMC have complementary strengths. A-CHESS provides automated 24/7 recovery support services and frequent assessment of symptoms and status, but does not involve regular contact with a counselor. TMC provides regular and sustained contact with the same counselor, but no ongoing support between calls. The future of continuing care for alcohol use disorders is likely to involve automated mobile technology and counselor contact, but little is known about how best to integrate these services.Methods/DesignTo address this question, the study will feature a 2 × 2 design (A-CHESS for 12 months [yes/no] × TMC for 12 months [yes/no]), in which 280 alcohol-dependent patients in intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) will be randomized to one of the four conditions and followed for 18 months. We will determine whether adding TMC to A-CHESS produces fewer heavy drinking days than TMC or A-CHESS alone and test for TMC and A-CHESS main effects. We will determine the costs of each of the four conditions and the incremental cost-effectiveness of the three active conditions. Analyses will also examine secondary outcomes, including a biological measure of alcohol use, and hypothesized moderation and mediation effects.DiscussionThe results of the study will yield important information on improving patient alcohol use outcomes by integrating mobile automated recovery support and counselor contact.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02681406. Registered on 2 September 2016.

Interactivity, Presence, and Targeted Patient Care: Mapping e-Health Intervention Effects Over Time for Cancer Patients with Depression

ABSTRACTThis study examined the interplay of depression and different types of e-health interventions on breast cancer patients’ perceived healthcare competence, emotional processing, and social well-being over time. The three e-health interventions––Internet Only as a control condition, CHESS (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) Only, and CHESS with a Human Mentor, a cancer information specialist––provided varying degrees of interactivity and presence. A total of 328 women with breast cancer participated in one of the three interventions for a 6-month period. Women were further split into two groups based on reported levels of depression. For perceived healthcare competence and social well-being, results revealed significant interaction effects for intervention type by depression over time, such that breast cancer patients with higher levels of depression benefited most from the CHESS with Mentor intervention over the 6-month study period. For emotional processing, depressed cancer patients benefited more from the CHESS with Mentor than the other two interventions, regardless of time. These findings have (a) theoretical implications on how mental health factors can intersect with interactivity and presence to influence psychosocial outcomes, (b) conceptual implications for the role of human interaction within e-health systems, and (c) practical implications for the development of e-health interventions for cancer patients with depression.

How Cancer Patients Use and Benefit from an Interactive Cancer Communication System

Despite the mounting evidence of efficacy of eHealth interventions, their mechanisms of action remain unknown. The current study analyzed patient log data as each patient engaged in an eHealth system called the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) and reports on how patients engage with different combinations of eHealth services over time. Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (N = 443) were given access for 6 months to one of four different configurations of CHESS: (1) Information, (2) Information and Support, (3) Information, Support, and Coaching (Full CHESS), and (4) Full CHESS and Mentor. Besides a baseline survey, three follow-up posttests were administered. Action log data on how patients engaged with the CHESS were also collected and merged with surveys to examine how patients benefit during the cancer experience. The findings suggest that usage patterns were not competitive, implying that cancer patients’ access to more complex tools generates more use with their time spreading out over the diverse services. Despite overall decline in usage rates, it was less severe in Full CHESS and Mentor condition, suggesting that communication functions drive long-term engagement with the system. Notably, the strongest relation between use and cancer information competence appeared late in the follow-up period.

Use of a Smartphone Recovery Tool for Latinos with Co-Occurring Alcohol and Other Drug Disorders and Mental Disorders

ABSTRACTObjective: Addressing alcohol and other drug disorders and other mental disorders among adult Hispanics/Latinos is of critical concern, as they are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups with a disproportionate rate of disease, mental disorders, and poverty. Although improvement in outcomes is associated with sustained participation in ongoing treatment for co-occurring alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders, continuing care is rare for these chronic conditions, especially for Latinos with more limited access to culturally and linguistically competent services. Methods: The evidence-based smartphone recovery application Addiction–Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) was translated and adapted for Spanish-speaking Latinos with alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders, thus developing CASA-CHESS to address a high level of need for services, high rates of relapse, and lack of existing culturally competent services for Latinos. Results: Of the 79 Latino clients who completed residential treatment and received a smartphone equipped with CASA-CHESS, 26.6% discontinued using CASA-CHESS and 73.4% remained active for four or more months. CASA-CHESS usage was sustained over the four months across all three tenets of self-determination theory (competence, relatedness, and autonomy), with the most commonly utilized services being relevant to relatedness (e.g., messaging, discussion boards). CASA-CHESS clients demonstrated a similar pattern of usage to A-CHESS clients. Conclusions: Findings illustrate that Spanish-speaking Latinos with alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders will use a smartphone application to assist with their recovery, continuing their access to resources, case management, and quality information after leaving residential treatment. Consistent with previous findings, our results also emphasize the importance of social support during the four months post-discharge. Such evidence-based, theory-driven digital interventions may extend access to culturally and linguistically competent services.

A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Interventions to Cancer Caregivers.

Objective: To systematically review the effect of psychosocial interventions on improving QoL, depression and anxiety of cancer caregivers.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of psychosocial interventions among adult cancer caregivers published from 2011 to 2016. PsycINFO, PubMed, Proquest, Cochrane Library, Embase, Applied Social Sciences Index and s (ASSIA), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and EBSCO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and WANFANG were searched. Inclusion criteria were: randomized controlled trails (RCTs); psychosocial intervention to cancer caregivers; psychosocial health indicators including quality of life, depression or anxiety.Results: 21 studies out of 4,666 identified abstracts met inclusion criteria, including 19 RCTs. The intervention modes fell into the following nine categories: family connect intervention, self-determination theory-based intervention (SDT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), comprehensive health enhancement support system (CHESS), FOCUS programme, existential behavioral therapy (EBT), telephone interpersonal counseling (TIP-C), problem-solving intervention (COPE).Conclusion: paired-intervention targeting self-care and interpersonal connections of caregivers and symptom management of patients is effective in improving quality of life and alleviating depression of cancer caregivers while music therapy is helpful for reducing anxiety of cancer caregivers.

Expression and Reception: An Analytic Method for Assessing Message Production and Consumption in CMC

ABSTRACTThis article presents an innovative methodology to study computer-mediated communication (CMC), which allows analysis of the multi-layered effects of online expression and reception. The methodology is demonstrated by combining the following three data sets collected from a widely tested eHealth system, the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS): (1) a flexible and precise computer-aided content analysis; (2) a record of individual message posting and reading; and (3) longitudinal survey data. Further, this article discusses how the resulting data can be applied to online social network analysis and demonstrates how to construct two distinct types of online social networks—open and targeted communication networks—for different types of content embedded in social networks.

CHESS: ten years of research and development in consumer health informatics for broad populations, including the underserved.

This paper reviews the research and development around a consumer health informatics system CHESS (The Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) developed and tested by the Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis at the University of Wisconsin. The review will place particular emphasis on what has been found with regard to the acceptance and use of such systems by high risk and underserved groups.

Self-Determination Theory and Computer-Mediated Support: Modeling Effects on Breast Cancer Patient’s Quality-of-Life

ABSTRACTA breast cancer diagnosis typically results in dramatic and negative effects on an individual’s quality of life. Web-based interactive support systems such as the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) offer one avenue for mitigating these negative effects. While evidence supports the efficacy of such systems, evaluations typically fail to provide a true test of the theorized model of effects, treating self-determination theory’s constructs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy as outcomes rather than mediators. Using path analysis, this study tests the nature of the proposed mediated relationship between system engagement and quality-of-life indicators utilizing data collected from women (N = 90) who participated in the treatment condition of a CHESS randomized controlled trial. Findings support a latent model, indicating that system effects are mediated through an intertwined measure of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Implementing an evidence-based breast cancer support and communication tool to newly diagnosed patients as standard care in two institutions.

While many women turn to the Internet to obtain health information, it is unlikely that unstructured Internet use provides optimal benefit to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, due to uneven quality, conflicting claims, redundancy, and search engine idiosyncrasies, which may make finding information and assessing its accuracy and applicability difficult. To answer the need for information and support, the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) was developed to provide access to integrated information for decision-making, behavior change, and emotional support, and has been validated in randomized trials. This observational study of real-world implementation focuses on the process of integrating CHESS into standard care in two Denver healthcare systems. Results from this study provide guidance for implementation of other web-based patient information and support programs in large healthcare organizations.

Social support and responsiveness in online patient communities: impact on service quality perceptions.

Hospitals frequently evaluate their service quality based on the care and services provided to patients by their clinical and non-clinical staff.(1,2) However, such evaluations do not take into consideration the many interactions that patients have in online patient communities with the health-care organization (HCO) as well as with peer patients. Patients' interactions in these online communities could impact their perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of social support and responsiveness that patients experience in an HCO's online community on patients' perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality. The study data are collected from CHESS, a health-care programme (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) run by the Centre for Health Enhancement System Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Findings show that the social support and the responsiveness received from peer patients in the online patient communities will impact patients' perceptions regarding the service quality of the HCO even when the organizational members themselves do not participate in the online discussions. The results indicate that interactions in such HCO-provided online patient communities should not be ignored as they could translate into patients' perceptions regarding HCOs' service quality. Ways to improve responsiveness and social support in an HCO's online patient community are discussed.