Browsing by Author "Weitzman, Matthew"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Characteristics and Challenges of Providing Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine in Oncology Treatment: Report of Survey Data and Experience of Five Unique Clinical Settings
    (Sage, 2024) Veleber, Susan; Cohen, Misha Ruth; Weitzman, Matthew; Maimon, Yair; Adamo, Christine A.; Siman, Jonathan; Lu, Weidong; Sajdyk, Tammy; Stone, Jennifer A. M.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Acupuncture is an integrative therapy with strong evidence to support its use in the oncology setting, yet barriers exist for implementation into conventional medical clinics. Though acupuncture is recommended in clinical practice guidelines for oncology, there is little data in the literature showing how acupuncture and other related therapies, including herbal medicine are successfully implemented in some oncology clinics, while others experience barriers to care. To characterize the current use of acupuncture (ACU) and herbal medicine (HM) in oncology clinics, we collected general demographic and usage data from 5 example clinics. In addition, to better understand the barriers faced by ACU and HM clinics in implementing acupuncture as a treatment modality, a survey was deployed to 2320 members of the Society for Integrative Oncology. This article examines the characteristics of oncology settings around the world, and shares data from the survey on the use of these therapies in the field of oncology. The primary barrier to acupuncture care, as reported by providers, was cost. With just under 70% of the oncologists reporting it as the most important obstacle. Additional barriers to implementation included concerns about competency and training, accessibility and safety of herbal medicine during treatment. Though acupuncture is being incorporated into more conventional oncology settings, organized strategies for implementation involving payers and policymakers is needed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Feasibility and Usability of EnergyPoints: A Mobile Health App to Guide Acupressure Use for Cancer Symptom Management
    (Sage, 2024) Beck, Susan L.; Smith, Ryan; Mindes, Janet; Beck, Karl; Kim, JungYoon Leah; Weitzman, Matthew; Stone, Jennifer A. M.; Veleber, Susan; Dudley, William N.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objective: To examine the feasibility and usability of EnergyPoints™, an innovative mobile health app that teaches and guides people with cancer to implement daily acupressure to self-manage their fatigue and sleep disturbances. Methods and intervention: The study used an integrated agile, human-centered approach. Adults (age 18 years and over) with cancer experiencing at least moderate fatigue, and living in the Greater New York City community, were recruited from social media, patient advocacy groups, and referrals. Twenty participants (in 3 sprints of 3, 5, and 12) were video-recorded thinking aloud while using the app for the first time. They then used the app at home to self-administer acupressure (twice daily for 1 week) while continuously wearing a fitness tracker. Each participant completed an exit interview and modified Computer System Usability Questionnaire post-participation. Results: Participants were ages 40 to 76 years and 65% female; 65% were non-Hispanic white. Mean pass rates per ritual exceeded 80%. Users completed (totally or partially) greater than 90% of stimulating acupressure and 70% of relaxing acupressure rituals. Sprint 3 SPs totally completed at least 1 ritual 87% of the time. The majority agreed or strongly agreed the app was easy to use (90%), easy to learn (85%), easy to understand (75%), and effective in helping perform self-acupressure (85%). In an analysis of ease of completing 5 key tasks, all successfully completed the tasks; 3 users required some assistance. Of 654 usability statements, those coded as personal experience/context (197), content related to acupressure learning (105), and content related to the onboarding/profile (71) were most frequent. The design team integrated recommendations into the app before the next sprint. Conclusions: Findings supported feasibility and usability, as well as acceptability, and led to significant alterations and improvements. EnergyPoints™ offers an opportunity to mainstream acupressure and help cancer survivors self-manage their symptoms.