Pilot study shows digital tool improved self-efficacy and coordination in cancer rehabilitation, suggesting promising utility.
551 Background: Exercise and rehabilitation services improve quality of life and reduce treatment-related morbidity for cancer survivors, yet fewer than 10% access these services. Barriers include lack of care coordination and low self-efficacy to identify a program that best fits their functional needs. Technology-enabled decision support tools may improve care coordination and access to appropriate services. The Exercise in Cancer Evaluation and Decision Support (EXCEEDS) tool is a digital triage solution that matches cancer survivors with appropriate rehabilitation or exercise programs based on their needs. This pilot study evaluated tool acceptability and impacts on decision self-efficacy and readiness to exercise. Methods: In this online study, participants used the EXCEEDS tool and received one of three triage recommendations: cancer rehabilitation, supervised exercise oncology, or independent exercise. Acceptability was assessed using Likert scales (1–5) across three domains: perceived usefulness, time to complete, and appropriateness of recommendations. Participants completed measures of decision self-efficacy (1–5) and readiness to exercise (0–15) before and after tool use. Acceptability was predefined as ≥70% agreement (≥4 on Likert scale). Paired t-tests evaluated changes in decision self-efficacy; readiness to exercise was evaluated descriptively among those with low baseline scores. Results: Participants (N=74; mean age 63.0±14.0; 81% female) were primarily in treatment (76%) or within 2 years post-treatment (20%). Most were triaged to rehabilitation (97%) based on criteria such as fatigue (31%), recent treatment (31%), difficulty with daily activities (19%), or cognitive issues (17%). The tool met predefined thresholds for perceived usefulness (73%) and time burden (84%), while 60% rated triage recommendations as appropriate. Decision self-efficacy significantly increased post-tool use (pre: 3.61±1.27; post: 4.38±0.80; p<.001), and 69% of participants with low baseline readiness reported improved readiness to begin exercise. Conclusions: In this study, the online EXCEEDS tool was acceptable to cancer survivors, improved self-efficacy to choose an appropriate exercise program, and enhanced readiness to start an exercise program. Additional research is needed to understand impacts on exercise behavior. However, these findings suggest EXCEEDS may be an acceptable and useful digital decision support tool to improve care coordination and lessen barriers to accessing cancer rehabilitation and exercise programs.
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Wood et al. (2025) studied this question.
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