Journal Article

Personalizing Patient Education for Pancreatic Cancer Patients Receiving Multidisciplinary Care with Integration of Novel Digital Tools

Palm, Russell F., Hodul, Pamela, Stricker, Carrie, Sandoval, Maria, Frakes, Jessica, Oraiqat, Adrianna, Krüg, Sarah, Hoffe, Sarah, Goodchild, Sarah, Adams, Matt, Herman, Joe, Thomas, Corinne, Gonzalez, Brian D., Nardella, Nicole, Adamson, Sonia

2025

Overview

Background/Objectives: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a diagnosis with a poor prognosis which can be associated with significant distress and may hinder a patient’s ability to understand treatment details. Educating patients based on their learning preferences (LPs) and emotions may allow for personalized, enhanced care. Methods: This prospective project enrolled patients with non-metastatic PC. Phase 1 utilized the Learning Preference Barometer (LPB) and Emotional Journey Barometer (EJB), which are digital instruments co-designed by CANCER101 (C101) and the Health Collaboratory, to assess patient LPs and emotional states. Phase 2 provided information prescriptions aligned with LPs through C101’s Prescription to Learn® (P2L) platform. Collected data included demographics, treatment, LPs (auditory, kinesthetic, linguistic, visual), patient engagement with P2L, and patient emotional states with qualitative verbal validation. Descriptive variables were used to report outcomes. Results: Primary LPs in the 47 participating patients were as follows: linguistic 45%, visual 34%, auditory 11%, and kinesthetic 9%, with secondary preferences in the majority (53%). Those patients (66%) who accessed P2L had linguistic and visual preferences; the majority accessed 1- 2 resources out of the 25 provided. Resources accessed aligned to 88% of patient LPs. The majority of patients (60%) initiated treatment prior to initial EJB, and 40% were treatment naive. Common baseline emotions were optimistic (47% vs. 36%, respectively), satisfied (11% vs. 25%), acceptance (11% vs. 11%), and overwhelmed (5% vs. 11%). Conclusions: Assessing LPs and emotional state allows for personalized patient education and clinical encounters for PC patients. Future work includes examining the effects of personalized approaches on patient satisfaction, decision-making, health outcomes, and the overall patient–clinician relationship.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Age / Cancer therapies / Care and treatment / Co-design / Digital health / Education reform / Emotions / Metastasis / Methods / Oncology / Pancreatic cancer / Patient education / Pilot projects / Preferences / Shared decision making / Technology application