Mindfulness and skills-based eHealth intervention to reduce distress in cancer-affected patients in the Reduct trial: Intervention protocol of the make it training optimized

Jana Heinen; Alexander Bäuerle; Caterina Schug; Julia Barbara Krakowczyk; Sven Erik Strunk; Alexandra Wieser; Jil Beckord; Christoph Jansen; Sebastian Dries; Michael Pantförder; Yesim Erim; Stephan Zipfel; Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf; Jörg Wiltink; Alexander Wünsch; Andreas Dinkel; Andreas Stengel; Johannes Kruse; Martin Teufel; Johanna Graf

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1037158

Mindfulness and skills-based eHealth intervention to reduce distress in cancer-affected patients in the Reduct trial: Intervention protocol of the make it training optimized

Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 28:13:1037158. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1037158. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jana Heinen^{1

2}, Alexander Bäuerle^{3

4

5}, Caterina Schug⁶, Julia Barbara Krakowczyk^{3

4

5}, Sven Erik Strunk³, Alexandra Wieser^{1

2}, Jil Beckord^{3

4

5}, Christoph Jansen^{3

4

5}, Sebastian Dries⁷, Michael Pantförder⁷, Yesim Erim⁶, Stephan Zipfel^{1

2}, Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf⁸, Jörg Wiltink⁹, Alexander Wünsch^{10

11}, Andreas Dinkel¹², Andreas Stengel^{1

2

13}, Johannes Kruse^{14

15}, Martin Teufel^{3

4

5}, Johanna Graf^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
² Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC-TS), University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
³ Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR-University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁴ Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁵ Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁶ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
⁷ Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering (ISST), Dortmund, Germany.
⁸ Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
⁹ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
¹⁰ Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Freiburg Medical Center, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹² Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
¹³ Charité Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁴ Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
¹⁵ Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer-affected patients experience high distress due to various burdens. One way to expand psycho-oncological support is through digital interventions. This protocol describes the development and structure of a web-based psycho-oncological intervention, the Make It Training optimized. This intervention is currently evaluated in the Reduct trial, a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Methods: The Make It Training optimized was developed in six steps: A patient need and demand assessment, development and acceptability analysis of a prototype, the formation of a patient advisory council, the revision of the training, implementation into a web app, and the development of a motivation and evaluation plan.

Results: Through a process of establishing cancer-affected patients' needs, prototype testing, and patient involvement, the Make It Training optimized was developed by a multidisciplinary team and implemented in a web app. It consists of 16 interactive self-guided modules which can be completed within 16 weeks.

Discussion: Intervention protocols can increase transparency and increase the likelihood of developing effective web-based interventions. This protocol describes the process and results of developing a patient-oriented intervention. Future research should focus on the further personalization of web-based psycho-oncological interventions and the potential benefits of combining multiple psychotherapeutic approaches.

Keywords: MBSR; cancer; e-mental health; intervention protocol; psycho-oncology; skills training; web-based intervention.