Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education
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Lack of activation in self-care can compromise a patient's ability to monitor and manage cancer treatment-related side effects, such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The web-based Carevive® Care Planning System (CPS) was developed to promote evidence-based symptom assessment and treatment by enhancing patients' involvement in their own care. The purpose of this single-arm, pre-test/post-test, prospective study was to examine whether the CPS can promote patient activation in CIPN symptom assessment and management. ⋯ PAM scores improved significantly from 67.15 (SD = 13.5; range = 47-100) at visit one to 69.29 (SD = 16.18; range = 47-100) (p = 0.02) (n = 62) at visit three. However, patients perceived the CPS to be of minimal value because it solely focused on CIPN and, for many, CIPN was not severe enough to motivate them to seek out symptom management information. Further research is needed to assess the utility of the CPS in promoting activation in the assessment and management of varying cancer treatment-related symptoms.