Abstract
Background/Aims The woman who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer suddenly faces significant new needs. She must learn about her disease and its treatment, cope with emotional distress and interpersonal issues, and make decisions about her treatment, work and family obligations. To answer the need for information and support, an Interactive Cancer Communication Systems (ICCS) called CHESS has been well-researched and validated to provide these women access to integrated information for decision-making, behavior change, and emotional support.
Methods This newly-funded dissemination and implementation project will offer CHESS to all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients as part of standard care in two Denver healthcare systems, Kaiser Permanente and Exempla St. Joseph’s Hospital. This project is designed to evaluate the real-world implementation of this new technology by answering the “how much” and “why” questions of utilization at both the institutional and patient levels. We will assess how effectively CHESS is offered to patients at each institution as part of standard care, what proportion of patients utilize the CHESS system and how often, why some women use it and some do not, to what extent women use the system; how staff perceptions and actions affect patient perceptions and use, if CHESS use is related to patient satisfaction and quality of life, and how organizational strategies affect CHESS adoption and use.
Discussion The data from this project will be relevant to decisions about whether and how to disseminate CHESS and other interactive cancer communication systems, especially in health care systems where the technology might be integrated with other aspects of patient care.
