Abstract 1295: CancerCare coping circle workshop for patients with cancer and covid-19
Authors: Verini Christine , Paul Sarah , Ashkenazy Rebecca , Gianares Brittany Wolf 
Published: March 2024

Background: Despite an end to the US COVID-19 public health emergency, COVID-19 remains an ongoing public health priority (1). Patients with cancer can be at increased risk of progression to severe COVID-19 due to their cancer type or to receipt of immunosuppressives or treatment (2). Their mental and emotional well-being have also been impacted negatively (3). There is a need for awareness and education on managing and navigating risk of COVID-19 infection in patients with cancer.

Method: Coping Circle Workshop series webinar ‘Navigating the Ongoing Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Patients’ was designed for patient/caregivers to reduce feelings of isolation caused by ongoing challenges associated with COVID-19; provide attendees with the tools to communicate effectively with medical teams; offer tips on utilizing and enhancing their support systems; and help develop adaptive coping mechanisms and provide resources for support. Pre- and post-webinar polls were analyzed to assess webinar impact. Training was provided by a social worker and a mindfulness practice was incorporated.

Results: Webinar had 11 attendees; 91% had skipped a cancer medical appointment due to COVID-19. Post-webinar, all participants responded that the webinar provided new topic information or insights at a level of ≥3 (scale 0-5; Table 1). Attendees’ confidence in understanding and managing their potential risks associated with COVID-19 infection increased from 5.8±1.3 (mean± standard deviation) pre-survey to 8.2±1.8 post-survey (scale 0-10).

Conclusions: Delivery of COVID-19 education by an aligned provider supports enhanced scientific discourse and disease management resource utilization and awareness. It may also serve to reduce time and resource burden on oncology providers when engaging in educating patients and improve patients COVID-19 care and management. Conclusions are limited by small participation size.

References: 1.End of PHE. Accessed Nov 2023;2.CDC. Accessed Nov 2023;3.Madan et al, Can Med. 2020;9:9205-18

Table 1: Webinar “COVID-19 and Cancer” - Pre and post webinar questions and responses Pre-poll, N=11 Scale Number of patients responded % of patients responded Post-poll, N=11 Scale Number of patients responded % of patients responded In the past three years, how many times have you skipped a medical appointment due to concerns or fear related to COVID-19? 1-3 times 2 18.18 The webinar provided me with new information or new insights about this topic.Scale of 0-5; 0-strongly disagree, 5- strongly agree 0 0 0 3-5 times 2 18.18 1-2 0 0 5-7 times 3 27.27 3 2 18.18 7-10 times 3 27.27 4 5 45.45 Unknown 0 0 5 4 36.36 Never 1 9.09 - - - How would you rate your knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on people diagnosed with cancer?Scale of 0-10; 0-no knowledge, 10- High knowledge 0 0 0 I am now more aware of the precautions and measures to take to manage the risk of COVID-19. Scale of 0-5; 0-strongly disagree, 5- strongly agree 0 0 0 1-3 0 0 1-2 0 0 4 3 27.27 3 1 9.09 5 3 27.27 4 2 18.18 6 1 9.09 5 6 54.54 7 1 9.09 - - - 8 2 18.18 - - - 9 0 0 - - - 10 0 0 - - - How confident do you feel in managing the potential risks associated with COVID-19 as a patient or caregiver? Scale of 0-10; 0-not confident, 10- High confident 0 0 0 How confident do you feel in managing the potential risks associated with COVID-19 as a patient or caregiver? Scale of 0-10; 0-not confident, 10- High confident 0 0 0 1-3 0 0 1-3 0 0 4 2 18.18 4 1 9.09 5 3 27.27 5 0 0 6 2 18.18 6 1 9.09 7 3 27.27 7 0 0 8 1 9.09 8 3 27.27 9 0 0 9 4 36.36 10 0 0 10 2 18.18

Citation Format: Christine Verini, Sarah Paul, Rebecca Ashkenazy, Brittany Wolf Gianares. CancerCare coping circle workshop for patients with cancer and covid-19 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1295.