Distress, Medication Adherence and Care Needs in Patients With CML and GIST Receiving Oral Targeted Therapy

Plain-language summary

Background: Long-term or life-long oral targeted therapy might also increase patients' distress, influencing patients' cognitive and life activity function, medication adherence and related care needs. However, very limited information has been known about patients' experiences. Purpose: First, to examine the changes of perceived physical and psychological distress, functional status, medication adherence, and unmet care needs; and second, to identify factors related to the changes of patients' medication adherence and unmet care needs by generalized estimating equation (GEE). Methods: This is a two-phase study. Phase I is a cross-sectional survey study, and the second phase is a 1-year follow-up prospective longitudinal study. Eligible subjects are CML and GIST patients newly taking oral targeted therapy. Patients will be assessed before taking the first targeted therapy and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 12th month (T1-T6, respectively). The patients were assessed of their (1) symptom severity, (2) psychological distress, (3) cognitive and life activity function, (4) adherence, (5) social support, (6) unmet care needs, and (7) background and disease-treatment information. Data will be analyzed mainly by GEE to identify the predictors (independent variables) of the changes in medication adherence and unmet care needs overall the 12 months, 6 time points. After the approval of IRB, research assistants in different data collection sites will be trained for maintaining the consistency and quality of data collection. Expected Outcomes and Future Implications: Although CML and GIST are not the most prevalent cancers in Taiwan, the investigators aim to use both groups of patients groups to examine the current status and changes of distress, adherence and care needs in patients are taking long-term or life-long TKI derived oral targeted therapy. From Phase II study, the changes of newly TKI targeted therapy takers' distress, adherence and care needs would be carefully and in-depth examined. It will provide health care professionals a more comprehensive picture of the changes in patients' distress, adherence, and care needs during taking oral targeted therapy. The results will also provide as a basis and evidence for better development a timing and comprehensive care models to fit and increase patients' life quality during receiving the most advanced targeted therapy.

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