Project Details
Projekt
Development and effectiveness evaluation of an interactive e-learning program to improve cancer patients' eHealth literacy (eHK-Strong).
Subject Area
Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 525146391
The Internet holds the potential to enable cancer patients to obtain comprehensive information about their disease at any time and thus addressing unmet information needs. However, the quality of online information varies widely. Often, information is incomplete, incorrect or does not contain all the necessary information to allow cancer patients to make well-informed decisions. Due to the varying quality of information, patients often rely on their own, commonly insufficient skills to search and critically evaluate (digital Health Literacy (dHL)) cancer-related online information. Patients do not follow systematic strategies for evaluating cancer-related online information and its providers. As part of the "dHL-Strong" study, an interactive digital learning environment will be developed and its effectiveness and acceptance among patients will be evaluated. Through the digital learning environment, cancer patients can learn strategies (e.g. verifying information on other websites; verification of the identity of the website provider and the topicality of the information) that they can use to search for reliable cancer-related online information. First, a low-fidelity prototype of the digital learning environment will be presented to cancer patients in two focus groups. Results will be translated into requirements for the learning environment and implemented in the development of the high-fidelity prototype. Then, the usability and functionality of the high-fidelity prototype will be tested by a usability expert (Cognitive Walkthrough) and by cancer patients (Think-Aloud). To evaluate the effectiveness and acceptance of the digital learning environment, 660 cancer patients will be randomly assigned in a 3:1:1 ratio to intervention group 1 (three variants of an interactive digital learning environment), intervention group 2 (PDF-long with the same scope and content as the digital learning environment), or the control group (Treatment as Usual (TAU)). The effectiveness of the digital learning environment will be tested by measuring dHL at baseline (T0), two weeks after baseline (after completion of the intervention) (T1), and two months after baseline (T2). The primary hypothesis is: Cancer patients using a digital interactive learning environment (IG1) will show greater improvement in dHL from T0 to T2 compared to cancer patients using PDF-long (IG2) or receiving TAU. Validated questionnaires will be obtained at T1 and T2 to evaluate the acceptance and feasibility of the digital learning environment and cancer patients' motivation to use it. Furthermore, outcomes measuring engagement will be collected. It will be tested whether engagement and motivation mediate the relationship between the intervention and the change in dHL from T0 to T2.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
