Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 21;29(8):5942-5954.
doi: 10.3390/curroncol29080469.

A Qualitative Study of Patient and Healthcare Provider Perspectives on Building Multiphasic Exercise Prehabilitation into the Surgical Care Pathway for Head and Neck Cancer

Julia T Daun  1 , Rosie Twomey  1 , Joseph C Dort  2   3   4   5 , Lauren C Capozzi  1   6 , Trafford Crump  3   7 , George J Francis  6   8 , T Wayne Matthews  2   4   5 , Shamir P Chandarana  2   4   5 , Robert D Hart  2   4   5 , Christiaan Schrag  2   5   9 , Jennifer Matthews  2   5   9 , C David McKenzie  2   5   9 , Harold Lau  8 , S Nicole Culos-Reed  1   8   10
Affiliations

A Qualitative Study of Patient and Healthcare Provider Perspectives on Building Multiphasic Exercise Prehabilitation into the Surgical Care Pathway for Head and Neck Cancer

Julia T Daun et al. Curr Oncol. .

Abstract

Head and neck cancer (HNC) surgical patients experience a high symptom burden. Multiphasic exercise prehabilitation has the potential to improve patient outcomes, and to implement it into the care pathway, the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers (HCPs) must be considered. The purpose of this study was thus to gather feedback from HNC surgical patients and HCPs on building exercise into the standard HNC surgical care pathway. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and HCPs as part of a feasibility study assessing patient-reported outcomes, physical function, and in-hospital mobilization. Interview questions included satisfaction with study recruitment, assessment completion, impact on clinical workflow (HCPs), and perceptions of a future multiphasic exercise prehabilitation program. This study followed an interpretive description methodology. Results: Ten patients and ten HCPs participated in this study. Four themes were identified: (1) acceptability and necessity of assessments, (2) the value of exercise, (3) the components of an ideal exercise program, and (4) factors to support implementation. Conclusion: These findings highlight the value of exercise across the HNC surgical timeline from both the patient and the HCP perspective. Results have informed the implementation of a multiphasic exercise prehabilitation trial in HNC surgical patients.

Keywords: cancer survivorship; exercise oncology; head and neck cancer; patient-oriented research; prehabilitation; qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main themes and sub-themes from interviews.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Parke S.C., Oza S., Shahpar S., Ngo-Huang A., Herbert A., Barksdale T., Gerber L. Identifying gaps in research on rehabilitation for patients with head and neck cancer: A scoping review. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2019;100:2381–2388. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2019.03.022. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fitzmaurice C., Allen C., Barber R.M., Barregard L., Bhutta Z.A., Brenner H., Dicker D.J., Chimed-Orchir O., Dandona R., Dandona L. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 32 cancer groups, 1990 to 2015: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study. JAMA Oncol. 2017;3:524–548. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abendstein H., Nordgren M., Boysen M., Jannert M., Silander E., Ahlner-Elmqvist M., Hammerlid E., Bjordal K. Quality of life and head and neck cancer: A 5 year prospective study. Laryngoscope. 2005;115:2183–2192. doi: 10.1097/01.MLG.0000181507.69620.14. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Buchmann L., Conlee J., Hunt J., Agarwal J., White S. Psychosocial distress is prevalent in head and neck cancer patients. Laryngoscope. 2013;123:1424–1429. doi: 10.1002/lary.23886. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Duffy S.A., Khan M.J., Ronis D.L., Fowler K.E., Gruber S.B., Wolf G.T., Terrell J.E. Health behaviors of head and neck cancer patients the first year after diagnosis. Head Neck. 2008;30:93–102. doi: 10.1002/hed.20665. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types