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. 2023 Oct 26;31(12):655.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-08117-3.

Survivorship wellness: a multidisciplinary group program for cancer survivors

Chelsea J Siwik #  1 , Kinnari Jhaveri #  1 , Jamie Alexis Cohen  2 , Mikela Barulich  3 , Alison Chang  3 , Anna O Levin  3 , Neha G Goyal  3 , Michelle Melisko  3 , Margaret A Chesney #  4 , Dianne Shumay #  3
Affiliations

Survivorship wellness: a multidisciplinary group program for cancer survivors

Chelsea J Siwik et al. Support Care Cancer. .

Abstract

Purpose: National mandates require cancer centers provide comprehensive survivorship care. We created an 8-session, group intervention, the Survivorship Wellness Group Program (SWGP), that covered 8 topics: nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep/fatigue, sexuality/body image, emotional wellbeing/fear of cancer recurrence, spirituality/meaning, and health promotion/goal setting. This study examined the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of SWGP.

Methods: We evaluated SWGP using questionnaire data collected at program entry and 15-week follow-up. Questionnaires assessed acceptability and impact on anxiety, depression, quality of life, and perceived knowledge of topics. Enrollees who consented to participate in research and completed the baseline and 15-week follow-up were included in the analysis (N = 53). We assessed acceptability and preliminary outcomes using paired-samples t-tests. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SWGP transitioned to telehealth partway through data collection. Post-hoc analyses compared outcomes by intervention delivery.

Results: Participants completed an average of 7.44/8 classes. Participants reported a mean response of 3.42/4 regarding overall program satisfaction and 90.6% reported being "very likely" to recommend SWGP. SWGP was associated with decreases in anxiety and depression; increases in physical, emotional, functional, and overall quality of life; and increases in knowledge of all health behavior domains. No outcomes differed significantly between delivery in person versus telehealth.

Conclusions: SWGP offers an acceptable and replicable model for cancer centers to meet national survivorship care guidelines.

Implication for cancer survivors: SWGP provides a comprehensive service for cancer survivors post-treatment, and was associated with better quality of life, fewer mental health symptoms, and increased knowledge in multiple domains of wellness.

Keywords: Health behavior; Multidisciplinary; Psycho-Oncology; Survivorship.

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Conflict of interest statement

DS reports personal fees from Bluenote Therapeutics outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest.

References

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