Deteriorating sexual wellbeing can impact long-term quality of life for cancer patients. Rekindle is an online intervention aimed to provide accessible and tailored psychosexual support to cancer survivors/partners with unmet sexual concerns. We have previously reported the feasibility results of this study demonstrating a need for psychosexual support amongst cancer survivors; feasibility of online recruitment and delivery of intervention for sexual concerns; although no changes in the outcomes measured were seen. This talk will discuss qualitative findings exploring participants’ experiences of the online intervention and its perceived impact on sexual function.
Methods: Participants in the phase II study were all Australian adult cancer survivors who had completed primary therapy > 6 months earlier and/or partners. Participants were randomized to either: i) wait-list control (WC); ii) Rekindle (10-week online intervention addressing psychoeducational sexual communication and function) (Int); iii) Rekindle Plus (Rekindle plus three support calls) (Int+). At T2 (10 week) timepoint participants were invited to take part in a semi-structured telephone interview discussing the user experience of the Rekindle intervention, the trial, and ongoing sexual concerns. All interviews were completed by telephone, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis using a Framework approach was undertaken.
Results: We interviewed 54 participants (WC = 12, Int = 32, Int+ = 10); the majority were in a relationship (n=41), heterosexual (n=50), and male (n=32). Identified themes were grouped into three overarching categories: the intervention, the trial, and the cancer experience/sexual concerns. Themes related to the intervention included: usability, patterns of use, user experience, and evaluation of the content. Themes related to the trial included: recruitment and evaluation of content. The themes related to the cancer experience /sexual concerns, included: unmet needs, impact of intervention, interaction with the healthcare system, and cancer as a journey.
Conclusions: The Rekindle intervention was largely acceptable to participants, but additional tailoring of content is required. Timing of the intervention is critical, as many participants would have preferred access to the information conveyed earlier in their cancer trajectory. Work is ongoing to make the Rekindle resources more widely available as an information resource for those affected by cancer.
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