Mobile health-based approaches for smoking cessation resources.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe how the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS) smoking-related resources on a mobile health (mHealth) platform were integrated into the workflow of RNs in advanced practice nurse (APN) training and to examine awareness and use of CIS resources and nurses' perceptions of the usefulness of those CIS resources. DESIGN: Descriptive analyses. SETTING: Acute and primary care sites affiliated with the School of Nursing at Columbia University. SAMPLE: 156 RNs enrolled in APN training. METHODS: The integration was comprised of (a) inclusion of CIS information into mHealth decision support system (DSS) plan of care, (b) addition of infobutton in the mHealth DSS, (c) Web-based information portal for smoking cessation accessible via desktop and the mHealth DSS, and (d) information prescriptions for patient referral. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Use and perceived usefulness of the CIS resources. FINDINGS: 86% of nurses used the mHealth DSS with integrated CIS resources. Of the 145 care plan items chosen, 122 were referrals to CIS resources; infobutton was used 1,571 times. Use of CIS resources by smokers and healthcare providers in the metropolitan area of New York City increased during the study period compared to the prestudy period. More than 60% of nurses perceived CIS resources as useful or somewhat useful. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of CIS resources into an mHealth DSS was seen as useful by most participants. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Implementation of evidence into workflow using an mHealth DSS can assist nurses in managing smoking cessation in patients and may expand their roles in referring smokers to reliable sources of information. KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION: mHealth DSS and information prescriptions may support smoking cessation interventions in primary care settings. Smoking cessation interventions can be facilitated through informatics methods and mHealth platforms. Nurses' referrals of patients to smoking-related CIS resources may result in patients' use of the resources and subsequent smoking cessation.

Patient-centered communication in cancer care: the role of the NCI's Cancer Information Service.

While patient-centered care and the reduction of suffering due to cancer are primary goals of the NCI, improvement in the delivery of patient-centered communication has been identified as a key NCI research priority. As research on patient-centered communication evolves, the potential contributions of programs such as the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Cancer Information Service (CIS) cannot be overlooked. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the six core functions of patient-clinician communication described in the literature (fostering healing relationships, exchanging information, responding to emotions, managing uncertainty, making decisions and enabling patient-self management) are embedded in the work of the CIS. The communication process used by the CIS to extend the patient-centered communication role of the clinician will be discussed. CIS training and quality management systems will be described. Lastly, suggestions for the role of CIS in future health information delivery and research will be explored.

Nurses' use and perceptions of usefulness of National Cancer Institute's tobacco-related Cancer Information Service (CIS) resources.

As a strategy to increase the use of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS) resources by nurses and patients, we integrated tobacco-related CIS resources into an existing mobile decision support system. We then evaluated nurses' use and perceptions of usefulness of context-specific access to CIS resources and of patient referrals to CIS resources-information prescriptions.

A Field Experiment Testing the Utility of Regulatory Fit Messages for Promoting Physical Activity.

Guided by regulatory focus theory, we examined whether messages tailored to individuals' promotion- or prevention-goal orientation (regulatory focus) elicit positive thoughts and feelings about physical activity and increase participation in physical activity. Inactive participants (N = 206) were assigned randomly to receive either promotion-focused or prevention-focused messages encouraging physical activity. Two weeks after message exposure, we assessed participants' thoughts and feelings about physical activity and physical activity behavior. Tailored messages that fit individuals' regulatory focus led to greater physical activity participation and more positive feelings than non-fit messages, particularly in the promotion-focused condition. Furthermore, positive retrospective feelings about physical activity mediated the effects of the tailored messages on behavior. These findings provide support for regulatory focus theory and direction for enhancing the effectiveness of messages encouraging physical activity and other health behaviors.

The NCI's Cancer Information Service: meeting the public's cancer information needs via the internet.

The Cancer Information Service (CIS) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) added e-mail and instant chat to its telephone service (1-800-4-CANCER, 1-877-44U-QUIT). While most CIS contacts are still via telephone, internet contacts have increased from 9000 in 2001 to over 20,000 in 2006. The NCI leveraged 30 years of CIS telephone experience to understand the needs of Internet information seekers. Online users are more likely to contact CIS on behalf of someone else. Instant chat users are younger and more educated than telephone users. They report high satisfaction levels, increased knowledge, and other positive effects from their interactions. Patients and their families can benefit from awareness of CIS online services and health care providers can be confident in directing them to CIS.

Raising awareness of on-line cancer information: helping providers empower patients.

While the digital divide remains a special problem in health care, providers' reluctance to refer patients to the Internet is an equally important problem. The Bridging the Digital Divide Project: Your Access to Cancer Information was designed with two target audiences in mind-consumers and health care providers. A total of 256 providers from varied health care settings enrolled in workshops over a 10-month period (2001-2002). Results suggest differences in awareness and use of on-line cancer information among providers and confirm that many providers need to become more comfortable with referring patients to on-line information. At completion of the workshops, all participants reported an increased awareness of cancer information websites, increased confidence in making judgments about the reliability and appropriateness of the sites, an increased willingness to discuss Internet information sources with patients and their family members, and an increased awareness of and intention to use the CIS. Providers from the community hospital were more likely than other groups to report that what they had learned about the Internet was helpful and that their comfort level using the Internet had increased. Partnerships between providers and the CIS may help to further increase this comfort level, ultimately benefiting cancer patients.