Background: People with advanced cancer often experience a range of symptoms and reduced well-being. Experience sampling methods, which involve completing multiple smartphone-based questionnaires per day over several days, may offer detailed insights into how these experiences unfold in daily life. Aim: To evaluate feasibility and acceptability of experience sampling methods in advanced cancer, and its potential to uncover moment-to-moment symptom and well-being fluctuations. Design: Observational study including baseline measurement, a 7-day experience sampling period with up to 10 assessments per day of symptoms and well-being, and follow-up measurement. We evaluated feasibility through response data and acceptability through a follow-up questionnaire measuring burden, ease-of-use, instruction clarity, and measurement reactivity. We analyzed fluctuations using within-person standard deviations. Setting/participants: We invited 79 people with advanced breast or lung cancer via two Belgian hospitals; 40 (51%) enrolled. Results: Thirty-seven participants provided 1703 valid (71% of 2400 scheduled) experience sampling assessments. On 7-point scales, participants reported low burden ( M = 2.1, SD = 0.8), high ease-of-use ( M = 5.6, SD = 1.2) and instruction clarity ( M = 6.5, SD = 0.5), and minimal measurement reactivity ( M = 1.3, SD = 0.3). On 0–100 scales, we observed the greatest means of within-person fluctuations across days for tiredness ( M iSD = 16.7, SD = 7.7), feeling relaxed ( M iSD = 13.0, SD = 7.3), and activity limitations ( M iSD = 12.4, SD = 9.9). Higher mean symptom intensity generally corresponded with greater within-person fluctuations. Conclusion: Experience sampling methods proved feasible and acceptable for people with advanced cancer, effectively capturing individuals’ unique symptom and well-being fluctuations in daily life. The methods are a promising avenue to enhance personalized care and improve quality of life by revealing the mechanisms behind individuals’ fluctuations.
Geeraerts et al. (Thu,) studied this question.