Browsing by Author "Ngufor, Che"

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Abstract 1310: Social determinants of migrant health factors impacting prostate cancer care and survivorship among sub-Saharan African immigrant men diagnosed with prostate cancer
(Volume 84, Issue 6_Supplement POSTER PRESENTATIONS - PROFFERED ABSTRACTS, 2024-03-15) Kaninjing, Ernest; Asiedu, Gladys; Voorhis, Kaitlin Va; Young, Mary Ellen; Erefah, Ebenezer; Agboola, Emmanuel; Odedina, Folakemi; Dronca, Roxana S.; Ashing, Kimlin; Rotimi, Solomon; Ngufor, Che; Merriweather, Arnola; McCall, John; Hill, Anthony
Abstract 2230: Connecting Black men to point of prostate cancer diagnosis (PPCD) support using precision intervention based on Virtual Reality Assistant (ViRA)
(Volume 84, Issue 6_Supplement POSTER PRESENTATIONS - PROFFERED ABSTRACTS, 2024-03-15) Odedina, Folakemi T.; Ngufor, Che; Merriweather, Arnold; Pereira, Deidre; Dronca, Roxana S.; Kaninjing, Ernest; Ashing, Kimlin; Rotimi, Solomon; Gordon, Vinessa
Background: The point of prostate cancer (CaP) diagnosis (PPCD) instantly leads to a life changing experience for Black men, with diverse emotional reactions that includes fear, denial, overwhelmingness, cancer fatalism etc. Black men diagnosed with CaP expressed several needs at the PPCD, including time to reflect on the diagnosis, being comfortable, emotional support, psycho-oncology support and social determinants of health (SDOH) navigation. Given that Black men are diverse in terms of their needs at the PPCD, precision intervention is needed to support them. Aim: The aim was to develop, implement, and establish the acceptance and usability of a Virtual Reality Assistant (ViRA) that will provide precision intervention tailored to the needs of Black men at the PPCD. This study is one of the five iCCaRE for Black Men projects focused on survivorship care. Methodology: The development of the ViRA was guided by CaP survivors through qualitative study. Reflective, analytic, and interpretive memos were used to generate action plans for the development of the ViRA. Based on a comprehensive PPCD ViRA intervention guide created by the team, the ViRA prototype was developed with mobile immersive technologies that integrated SDOH navigation, standard CaP psycho oncology support and emotional support. The goal was to have the intervention personalized to everyone based on participant-provided information. Alpha testing of the ViRA is ongoing and will be completed on November 20, 2023. Participants are three prostate cancer survivors and three clinicians. The assessments will confirm the accuracy of the ViRA predictions and the functionality of the ViRA. Results: We developed the ViRA SDOH screening and navigation tool to identify participants’ needs and appropriately connect them with relevant support services and resources in their communities. The emotional support intervention was based on four CaP survivors as virtual reality avatars, providing empathetic rapport through self disclosure and sharing of survivorship stories in different settings (home, clinic, barbershop etc). The psycho-oncology support intervention was developed with the guidance of a psycho-oncologist, with her avatar providing psychoeducation about the PPCD experience, reify and concretize the PPCD experience, and foster hope using the basic tenets of Problem-Solving Therapy. The results of the alpha testing and the modified ViRA will be presented during the conference. Conclusion: Meeting the needs of Black men at the PPCD requires a personalized and decentralized approach, which would allow Black men to access support anywhere. The presentation will unveil the iCCaRE ViRA, a smart and connected personalized AR enabled intervention that will deliver SDOH navigation, CaP psycho-oncology support and emotional support tailored to the needs of Black men.
Abstract 819: Feasibility of patient centered home care (PCHC) to reduce disparities in high-risk black men with advanced prostate cancer
(Volume 84, Issue 6_Supplement POSTER PRESENTATIONS - PROFFERED ABSTRACTS, 2024-03-15) Dronca, Roxana S.; Odedina, Folakemi; Ngufor, Che; Ashing, Kimlin; Kaninjing, Ernest; Rotimi, Solomon
The objective of our study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptance, and impact of patient-centered home care (PCHC) on patient reported outcomes (PROs) and health related quality of life (HQoL) of black men with advanced prostate cancer (CaP). Meeting patients where they are and offering treatment in or closer to their homes reduce psychological distress and increase treatment compliance, especially for disadvantaged patients in rural areas, those on low incomes, with poor access to transport, elderly and people with disabilities. In 2023, Mayo Clinic has developed the Cancer Care Beyond Walls (CCBW) program, a cancer care delivery model that integrates virtual with in facility treatment and provides a package of care to support administration of cancer-directed therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy) and/or supportive care in the patients’ homes. Our study will assess if patients and families are comfortable with cancer therapy at home, what factors influences their decision, and use this data to inform our understanding of the proportion of the black men with advanced CaP who would be willing to receive and would benefit from this level of care at home. Patients with advanced CaP from our practice requiring active anti-cancer therapy are administered a brief questionnaire regarding preference for location of therapy at the infusion center or in the home, with perceived difficulties and advantages of each approach. A focus group session with prostate cancer survivor advocates is also conducted to capture patients’ thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and questions towards cancer treatments being administered at home versus a hospital setting. In addition, we are conducting an observational study of 20 patients with advanced prostate cancer receiving supportive care/symptom management and/or anti cancer therapy in the home as part of the Mayo Clinic CCBW Program to assess the safety of cancer directed therapy when administered at home by a home health provider with remote patient monitoring and command center support, and establish the impact of home cancer treatment administration on patient-reported function and global health/quality of life, patient-reported symptoms, clinical outcomes, and cost of care. Successful completion of the project will deliver data on patient understanding and acceptability of cancer care at home, strategies for overcoming barriers to care for underserved communities, and the foundation from which we discover, translate and apply new knowledge in administering personalized care to vulnerable populations.