Improving Adherence to Oral Cancer Agents and Self Care of Symptoms Using an IVR

Design and Methods A unique feature of this study is that assessments, reminders, and symptom management strategies will be delivered by an Interactive Voice Response system (IVR). This system has been tested in a previous trial and in a pilot study of medication adherence; it received high satisfaction ratings from patients.

All patients will complete intake (baseline), 4 week, 8 week, and 12 week interviews for symptom severity, depression, beliefs about oral agents, self-efficacy, and pill count. Following the intake interview a computerized procedure will randomize patients to one of two groups: experimental and control. Patients in both arms will receive 12 weekly assessments of adherence to their oral cancer medications and symptom severity delivered by the IVR.

In addition, patients in the experimental group will receive daily reminder calls for 4 weeks delivered by the IVR. At the end of week 4 patients will be offered the option to reduce calls to every other day, or continue with daily reminders for weeks 5-8. Reminder calls will be tailored to the cycle of each medication. Daily reminder calls include a question to determine if medication changes have occurred. If this occurs, reminder calls are stopped and/or adjusted to the revised prescription. Patients in the experimental group will be mailed a Toolkit. Patients who report symptoms above designated thresholds during a weekly assessment call will be referred to the Toolkit to assist with self-management.

The control group will not receive IVR reminder calls during the first 8 weeks. Control group patients, who report difficulty taking their cancer medications as prescribed, will be randomized following the 8 week interview to either receive 4 weeks of daily IVR reminder calls during weeks 9-12, or to continue in the control group. Patients randomized to receive daily IVR reminder calls will receive a Toolkit following randomization (and if during their weekly assessment calls they report symptoms above designated thresholds they will be referred to the Toolkit to assist with self-management). Patients randomized to continue in the control group will receive a Toolkit upon completion of the 12 week interview.

Medical records will be audited for oral cancer medication changes during the study period as well as adverse toxic events noted, and scripts written.

Implications & Impact This research will identify and explore the factors (symptom severity, medication complexity, patient characteristics) affecting adherence to oral cancer medications and how symptom management might improve levels of adherence. This will allow patients to engage in their care and potentially transform the safety and quality of cancer care for patients on oral cancer medications.

Inclusion criteria

• 21 years of age or older
• Newly prescribed one of the designated oral cancer medications for treatment of cancer
• ECOG score of 0,1,or 2 OR Karnofsky score of 50 or higher
• Patient of one of the participating National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer centers
• Able to speak, read and understand English
• Able and willing to receive phone calls

Exclusion criteria

• Difficulty hearing on the telephone
• Limited or no access to a touch tone phone
• Cognitive deficits
• Hospice care at enrollment
• Those prescribed a hormonal therapy for cancer