title: Web-based tailored education program for disease-free cancer survivors with cancer-related fatigue: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether an Internet-based tailored education program is effective for disease-free cancer survivors with cancer-related fatigue (CRF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly assigned patients who had completed primary cancer treatment within the past 24 months in any of four Korean hospitals and had reported moderate to severe fatigue for at least 1 week to participate in a 12-week, Internet-based, individually tailored CRF education program or to receive routine care. We based the program on the CRF guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and incorporated the transtheoretic model (TTM). At baseline and 12 weeks, we used the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) as primary outcomes and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) for secondary outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 273 participants and randomly assigned 136 to the intervention group. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had an improvement in fatigue as shown by a significantly greater decrease in BFI global score (-0.66 points; 95% CI -1.04 to -0.27) and FSS total score (-0.49; 95% CI, -0.78 to -0.21). In secondary outcomes, the intervention group experienced a significantly greater decrease in HADS anxiety score (-0.90; 95% CI, -1.51 to -0.29) as well as global quality of life (5.22; 95% CI, 0.93 to 9.50) and several functioning scores of the EORTC QLQ-C30.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An Internet-based education program based on NCCN guidelines and TTM may help patients manage CRF.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea. lawyun08@gmail.com
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Keun Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young-Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Eun Sook
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dong-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Sung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: So Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Ki-Wook
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: You Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Kyu Joo
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Mog
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Jae Ill
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Zo
authors.forename: Ji Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Ae
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: En Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Shon
authors.forename: Sohee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome