TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards best practice in the delivery of prescribed exercise via telehealth for individuals diagnosed with cancer
T2 - A randomised controlled trial protocol.
AU - Toohey, Kellie
AU - Paterson, Catherine
AU - Moore, Melanie
AU - Hunter, Maddison
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Ms. Kittani Morrison for her assistance in the writing and development of the first draft of this protocol.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Introduction: There is a plethora of evidence supporting the therapeutic effects of regular exercise for individuals diagnosed with cancer, particularly during active treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated delivery of face-to-face exercise programs for individuals with cancer, particularly as this cohort is at much higher risk of morbidity and mortality. The proposed randomised controlled trial explores best practice and assesses the feasibility of exercise programs delivered via Telehealth for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Methods: Participants (n = 160) must have a current cancer diagnosis, must be undergoing active treatment, receive medical clearance, and have access to a smart device to participate in supervised exercise. Participants will be randomly assigned (two arms; 1:1) to supervised exercise delivered via Telehealth (Coviu) or usual care (receiving physical activity guidelines). Telehealth arm participants will receive an individualised program according to their health status, comorbidities, and exercise history, delivered weekly for eight weeks by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist in a group setting. Outcome measures will assess feasibility, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, symptom management, physical activity and fitness levels. A Telehealth arm participant sub-sample will have the opportunity to share their experience and feedback via an online interview at the intervention completion. Ethics and dissemination: Outcomes from this study will create evidence to inform best practice for the safe delivery of exercise via Telehealth for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Evidence will be published in peer-reviewed journals and may be presented at national and international conferences. Ethics approval was obtained at the University of Canberra (Project ID: 4604. Version 2: 1st March 2022). Trial registration number: ANZCTR: ACTRN12620001054909. Universal Trial Number: U1111–1256-4083.
AB - Introduction: There is a plethora of evidence supporting the therapeutic effects of regular exercise for individuals diagnosed with cancer, particularly during active treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated delivery of face-to-face exercise programs for individuals with cancer, particularly as this cohort is at much higher risk of morbidity and mortality. The proposed randomised controlled trial explores best practice and assesses the feasibility of exercise programs delivered via Telehealth for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Methods: Participants (n = 160) must have a current cancer diagnosis, must be undergoing active treatment, receive medical clearance, and have access to a smart device to participate in supervised exercise. Participants will be randomly assigned (two arms; 1:1) to supervised exercise delivered via Telehealth (Coviu) or usual care (receiving physical activity guidelines). Telehealth arm participants will receive an individualised program according to their health status, comorbidities, and exercise history, delivered weekly for eight weeks by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist in a group setting. Outcome measures will assess feasibility, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, symptom management, physical activity and fitness levels. A Telehealth arm participant sub-sample will have the opportunity to share their experience and feedback via an online interview at the intervention completion. Ethics and dissemination: Outcomes from this study will create evidence to inform best practice for the safe delivery of exercise via Telehealth for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Evidence will be published in peer-reviewed journals and may be presented at national and international conferences. Ethics approval was obtained at the University of Canberra (Project ID: 4604. Version 2: 1st March 2022). Trial registration number: ANZCTR: ACTRN12620001054909. Universal Trial Number: U1111–1256-4083.
KW - Cancer
KW - Exercise oncology
KW - Physical activity
KW - Randomised controlled trial
KW - Telehealth
KW - Telemedicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132747999&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106833
DO - 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106833
M3 - Article
C2 - 35718307
AN - SCOPUS:85132747999
SN - 1551-7144
VL - 119
SP - 1
EP - 6
JO - Contemporary Clinical Trials
JF - Contemporary Clinical Trials
M1 - 106833
ER -
