Finding My Way UK v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Finding My Way UK: Adaptation and Replication Testing of the Benefits of Online Psychological Support for Cancer Survivors
IRAS ID
288469
Contact name
Nicholas Hulbert-Williams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Chester
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN14317248
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
The North West has a high rate of cancer diagnosis and deaths compared to the rest of the UK. Over one-third of cancer patients report anxiety or depression, three-quarters report psychological distress, and our pilot work has confirmed high levels of psychological and supportive care needs that patients in the North West would like more support with. There is a lack of evidence about what might best reduce distress in UK cancer patients.
‘Finding My Way’ is a web-based programme developed in Australia. It contains six sections that help patients to better cope with the consequences of cancer treatment. In Australian research, cancer survivors who completed ‘Finding My Way’ reported reduced psychological distress and used fewer healthcare services. We will test whether ‘Finding My Way’ is helpful to UK patients, potentially saving the NHS valuable resources.
Before testing ‘Finding My Way’, we have now made some changes to the programme to make it UK-relevant (NHS-specific information, UK audio recordings etc.). This included interviewing patients and clinical staff to produce information videos for the website. After this, we will now recruit 294 people who have been diagnosed with cancer from hospitals in the North West and North Wales. Half will be given access to ‘Finding My Way’ and half will be provided with an information pack containing details of existing resources that they can access. This latter group will then be given access to ‘Finding My Way’ once they have completed the study. We will compare distress, quality of life, and healthcare use in both groups after the intervention, and again three and six months later.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
21/WA/0029
Date of REC Opinion
2 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion