EHealth Educational Intervention to Improve Self-Management and Coping Behaviors Among Cancer Patients (EHCancer)

March 3, 2026 updated by: Manal Saleh Moustafa Saleh, Zagazig University

A Controlled Evaluation of EHealth Interventions for Self-Management and Psychological Coping in Cancer Patients

Brief Summary This study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured eHealth-based educational and support intervention in improving self-management practices and psychological coping behaviors among adult cancer patients. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with study and control groups, the intervention integrates online education, interactive sessions, and digital communication platforms to enhance symptom management, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping strategies. The findings aim to inform scalable digital health solutions in oncology care.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cancer patients often experience complex physical and psychological challenges related to disease progression and treatment side effects. eHealth interventions offer accessible, personalized, and cost-effective tools that support patient engagement, self-efficacy, and coping.

This study applies a structured eHealth intervention grounded in Self-Determination Theory to enhance autonomy, competence, and relatedness among cancer patients. The intervention includes synchronous online sessions, digital educational materials, and ongoing communication via mobile platforms over six weeks. Outcomes are measured using validated self-management and coping scales before and after the intervention. The study contributes evidence on the effectiveness of digital health interventions within the Saudi Arabian healthcare context.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

212

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Zagazig, Egypt, 44519
        • Faculty of Nursing

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female adult cancer patients
  • Diagnosed with cancer and currently receiving chemotherapy
  • Able to read and understand Arabic
  • Own a mobile phone and able to use online applications (e.g., Zoom or similar platforms)
  • Willing to participate in the eHealth educational program
  • Provided informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with severe cognitive impairment or psychiatric disorders that interfere with participation
  • Patients with critical health conditions preventing attendance in the intervention sessions
  • Patients who participated in similar structured educational or coping programs during the study period
  • Patients unwilling to complete baseline or follow-up assessments

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Structured eHealth Intervention Group
Participants receive a structured eHealth educational intervention program delivered over six weeks in addition to routine care. The program focuses on enhancing self-management skills and psychological coping strategies among cancer patients.
Behavioral: Structured eHealth Educational Intervention
The intervention consists of structured online educational sessions delivered via video conferencing platforms, supported by digital educational materials including videos and informational resources. The program incorporates scenario-based discussions, peer interaction, and continuous follow-up communication. The content focuses on symptom self-management, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping strategies for cancer patients.
No Intervention: Routine Care Control Group
Participants receive routine care provided by the healthcare facility without additional eHealth educational intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Measured using the Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Scale (SMSE) developed by Liang et al. (2015). The scale consists of 27 items across three subscales: acquiring problem-solving (7 items), managing chemotherapy-related symptoms (15 items), and managing emotional and interpersonal disturbance (5 items). Each item is scored on an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all confident) to 10 (completely confident). The total possible score ranges from 0 to 270. Higher scores indicate greater perceived self-efficacy in symptom management.
Baseline and 6 weeks (immediately post-intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Coping Behavior Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Measured using the Jalowiec Coping Scale developed by Jalowiec and Powers (1981). The scale includes 40 items divided into two subscales: affective-oriented coping (25 items) and problem-oriented coping (15 items). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always). The total possible score ranges from 0 to 160. Higher scores indicate greater use of coping strategies.
Baseline and 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Correlation Between Self-Efficacy and Coping Scores
Time Frame: 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Assessment of the correlation between total Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Scale scores and total Jalowiec Coping Scale scores at post-intervention.
6 weeks (post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Zagazig University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 30, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 26, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

November 26, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SU-ERC-2023-011-EH

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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