Sylvie D Lambert

McGill University | McGill · Ingram School of Nursing

Objective: To evaluate the suitability, readability, quality, and usefulness of available online resources about the side effects of immunotherapy. Methods: Resources were identified through online searches (Google, Microsoft Bing, and Yahoo search engines) and evaluated using the Suitability Assessment Materials (SAM), three readability formula...

The period between the initial discovery of a suspicious breast lesion and a confirmed diagnosis is a time of significant psychological distress, heightened anxiety, and uncertainty for many women. This proof of concept (PoC) study explored the clinical outcomes and acceptability of iCope, a nurse-led psycho-educational telephone intervention aimed...

Entre la découverte d’une lésion suspecte dans un sein et la confirmation du diagnostic, de nombreuses femmes vivent de l’incertitude, une anxiété accrue et une grande détresse psychologique. La présente étude de validation de principe évalue les résultats cliniques et l’acceptabilité de l’approche iCope, une intervention téléphonique de psychoéduc...

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality, readability, suitability, and usefulness of resources publicly available to adult cancer survivors (aged 18 +) who have completed primary treatment. Methods Resources were identified in July 2021 through Google. Search completeness was verified using Yahoo, Bing, and MedlinePlus. Retrieved...

PurposeThis international study aimed to compare healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the unmet needs of their cancer patients with those of family caregivers and to investigate the degree to which patients’ age group moderates the associations.Methods Healthcare professionals involved in the care for cancer patients and their family caregiver...

Background: Psychometrically sound measures of chronic disease self-management tasks are needed to improve identification of patient needs and to tailor self-management programs. This study aimed to develop and conduct a preliminary psychometric analysis of the CanSMART questionnaire among a diverse, multimorbid Canadian population. Methods: The...

Background Detecting anxiety in oncology patients is important, requiring valid yet brief measures. One increasingly popular approach is the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS); however, its validity is not well established in oncology. We assessed the convergent and criterion validity of PROMIS anxiety measures in an...

In the management of most chronic conditions characterized by the lack of universally effective treatments, adaptive treatment strategies (ATSs) have grown in popularity as they offer a more individualized approach. As a result, sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMARTs) have gained attention as the most suitable clinical trial desig...

Background The Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) screening tool is a widely-used risk stratification tool for older adults in the emergency department (ED). Few studies have investigated the use of ISAR to predict outcomes of hospitalized patients. To improve usability a revised version of ISAR (ISAR-R), was developed in a quality improvemen...

A range of anxiety measures is used in oncology but their comparability is unknown. We examined variations in measurement across three commonly used instruments: Hospital Anxiety and Depression-Anxiety subscale (HADS-A); Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale - Anxiety subscale (DASS-A); and Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Participants (n =...

Background: The Brief Health Literacy Screening (BHLS) is a short self-report instrument developed to identify patients with inadequate health literacy. This study aimed to translate the BHLS into French Canadian (BHLS-FCv) and to evaluate its psychometric properties among patients with chronic conditions in primary care. Methods: The BHLS was t...

An individualized treatment rule (ITR) is a decision rule that aims to improve individual patients health outcomes by recommending optimal treatments according to patients specific information. In observational studies, collected data may contain many variables that are irrelevant for making treatment decisions. Including all available variables in...

Objectives Identify the key effective components of a depression self-care intervention. Methods Secondary analysis of data from 3 studies that demonstrated effectiveness of a similar depression self-care intervention (n=275): 2 studies among patients with chronic physical conditions and 1 among cancer survivors. The studies used similar tools, an...

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis among men. Family caregivers (often female spouses) play a key role in ensuring patients' needs are met, frequently assuming their role with no formal training, which can contribute to a high burden. The purpose of this study was to pilot TEMPO-the first dyadic, Tailored, wEb-based, p...

Background: The Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) screening tool has been used primarily to predict adverse outcomes among older patients in the emergency department (ED). Few studies have investigated the use of ISAR to predict outcomes of hospitalized patients. To improve the usability of ISAR, the revised ISAR (ISAR-R) was developed in a...

PurposeThe present analysis explores whether demographic, psychosocial, or intervention adherence factors moderated treatment efficacy of Finding My Way (FMW), an efficacious self-directed web-based psychosocial program for newly diagnosed curatively treated cancer patients.Methods Participants (n = 191) completed a 6-module intervention (n = 94) o...

Abstract Background Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that 20% of adults with chronic physical diseases experience concomitant depression, increasing their risk of morbidity and mortality. Low intensity psychosocial interventions, such as self-management, are part of recommended treatment; however, no system...

Purpose Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) may be equally prevalent, persistent and burdensome in cancer caregivers as in survivors. This systematic review evaluated FCR prevalence, severity, correlates, course, impact and interventions in cancer caregivers. Methods Electronic databases were searched from 1997 to May 2021. Two reviewers identified el...

In Canada, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are at a greater risk of developing a chronic illness, and are more likely to experience adverse health effects and challenges in accessing high-quality care compared with Canadian-born individuals. This, in part, has been attributed to having inadequate access to infor...

Context: With advancements in mobile technology and increased access to smartphones, the use of Mobile Health applications (apps) has surged. These apps provide an innovative avenue for supporting cancer caregivers who face increasing burden and lack formal support; however, the quality of these apps is rarely evaluated. Objectives: Evaluate the...

Objective To assess the feasibility and acceptability of using a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) to optimize the delivery of a web-based, stress management intervention for CVD patients. Methods 59 patients with a CVD and moderate stress were randomized to a self-directed web-based stress management program (n = 30) or the...

In the management of most chronic conditions characterized by the lack of universally effective treatments, adaptive treatment strategies (ATSs) have been growing in popularity as they offer a more individualized approach, and sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMARTs) have gained attention as the most suitable clinical trial design...

PurposeOpal is a new patient-centered mobile application that gives cancer patients access to their real time medical data in conjunction with disease- and treatment-specific patient education material. Few studies have focused on patients’ experiences with such mobile applications. This study’s objectives were to (1) explore cancer patients’ perce...

Background Caregivers experiencing depression or caring for people experiencing depression are at risk of high burden. This systematic review examined the effect of non-pharmacological interventions for caregivers that (a) target improving caregivers’ depressive symptoms, (b) help caregivers manage the depressive symptoms of the person for whom the...

Objective The aims of this study were to evaluate the readability, suitability, and quality of publicly available online self-management (SM) resources for people with cancer. Methods Resources were identified using two strategies: a) a targeted search of 20 Canadian organizations and b) a Google search. These were evaluated using the Suitability...

Background Prostate cancer predisposes patients and caregivers to a wide range of complex physical and psychosocial challenges, and interventions must incorporate a wide range of self-management strategies to help patients and their caregivers effectively cope with cancer challenges. To palliate this need, our team recently developed and evaluated...

Background: Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that 20% of adults with chronic physical diseases experience concomitant depression, increasing their risk of morbidity and mortality. Low intensity psychosocial interventions, such as self-management (SM), are part of recommended treatment; however, no systemati...

PURPOSE Depression in post-treatment cancer survivors is common and can impair quality of life. CanDirect is a novel, telephone-delivered depression self-care intervention for cancer survivors. We conducted a randomized controlled superiority trial to compare CanDirect with usual care (UC) in this population. METHODS Participants completing cancer...

PurposeThe PACIC assesses key components of the Chronic Care Model. The purpose of this study is to examine the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the PACIC.MethodsA convenience sample of 221 adults in Canada who self-identified as living with one or more physical and/or mental chronic diseases was invited to participate via an online su...

Objective To review the effectiveness of health education interventions adapted for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations with a chronic illness. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Eligible studies were identified across six databases. Data were extracted and intervention effect was summarized using st...

Caregivers of men with prostate cancer report high burden, and there is a need to develop cost-effective programs to support them in their roles. This study reports on the acceptability of a dyadic, Tailored, wEb-based, psychosocial and physical activity (PA) self-Management PrOgram called TEMPO. TEMPO was accessed by a convenience sample of 19 men...

Both men with prostate cancer and their caregivers report experiencing a number of challenges and health consequences, and require programs to help support the cancer patient–caregiver dyad. A tailored, web-based, psychosocial and physical activity self-management program (TEMPO), which implements behavior change techniques to help facilitate behav...

Objective: This study explored the perceptions, needs and preferences for chronic disease self- management (SM) and SM support among men experiencing homelessness. Design: A qualitative interpretive approach was used. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 homeless men with a chronic disease at an emergency overnight shelter...

Background: The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) is a multidisciplinary professional network that aims to improve psychosocial care for individuals impacted by cancer. IPOS encourages research activity, recognizing that a high-quality evidence base is essential to provide best-practice, data-driven clinical care. This study aimed to de...

Abstract Objective To test the psychometric properties of the Dutch 45-item Supportive Care Needs Survey—Partners and Caregivers (SCNS-P&C45-D) among partners of women with breast cancer living in the Netherlands. Methods In this cross-sectional validation study, partners of patients with breast cancer were invited to complete a survey on the patie...

Objective Measuring self-management helps identify the degree of participation of people in the management of their chronic conditions and guides clinicians in determining person-centred priorities for providing support. The Partners in Health scale, a self-report generic questionnaire, was developed to capture the self-management of patients with...

Objectives: Among Canadian adults with chronic disease: 1) to identify groups that differ in self-management task frequency and self-efficacy; 2) to compare group characteristics and preferences for self-management support. Methods: Using data from an online survey, cluster analysis was used to identify groups that differed in self-management ta...

Purpose This multicentre randomised controlled trial examined the efficacy of Finding My Way (FMW), a 6-week/6-module online self-guided psychotherapeutic intervention for newly diagnosed curatively treated cancer survivors, in reducing cancer-related distress and improving quality of life compared to an online attention control. Methods Participa...

Informal caregivers are the primary source of support for cancer patients, providing assistance with household tasks, medical care and emotional support. These responsibilities often result in high levels of emotional, physical, social and financial burden for the caregiver. The aim of this study was to perform a scoping review exploring what is kn...

Objective: To evaluate online depression self-management (SM) resources based on their readability, suitability, and quality to determine their appropriateness for use by patients. Methods: A Google search using patients' most frequently searched terms was conducted. Resources were evaluated using readability indices, the Suitability Assessment...

Objective Evaluate the suitability, readability, quality, and usefulness of publicly available online resources for cancer caregivers. Methods Resources identified through a Google search and environmental scan were evaluated using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), an online readability text analysis tool, the DISCERN (quality), and c...

PurposeWith an increased investment in psychosocial caregiving research, it becomes critical to establish the need for data of key stakeholders and future strategic directions. The purpose of this international Delphi study was to engage caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and managers to identify priority topics for caregiver research in cancer c...

Objectives To explore the information needs of caregivers of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients, and how they access and understand health information related to the management of their care person's chronic illness(es). Background Caregivers of CALD patients experience greater unmet needs compared to the general caregiver popul...

PurposeMesothelioma is an insidious disease with a generally poor prognosis even after invasive treatment. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of patients suffering from mesothelioma and their carers and their perceptions of how their needs may be addressed. Methods Eligible patients and carers were identified by a lung cancer c...

Introduction Cancer is often considered a chronic disease, and most people with cancer have a caregiver, often a family member or friend who provides a significant amount of care during the illness trajectory. Caregivers are frequently in need of support, and a range of interventions have been trialled to improve outcomes. Consensus for optimal way...

RÉSUMÉ Objectif : Évaluation (faisabilité, acceptabilité, pertinence et bienfaits potentiels) d’une intervention de transition pour proches aidants. Méthode: L’intervention visait à fournir du soutien émotionnel, de l’information sur les ressources communautaires et du soutien au développement des capacités d’adaptation pour les proches aidants de...

Introduction Colorectal cancer is associated with considerable physical and psychosocial burden. Whilst social support is known to facilitate psychological adjustment to cancer, patients’ and caregivers’ experiences of social support within a treatment setting and their perceptions of the role of the treating team in providing this support is unkno...

Objectives To examine: 1) whether patient characteristics predict perceived self-management support (usefulness of information and collaborative care planning) by primary care providers after six months, and 2) the association between perceived self-management support and patient activation at 6 months Methods We conducted a secondary analysis amo...

Background: Cancer is often called a “we-disease” as the effects of the diagnosis can go beyond the patient to others, including the caregiver. In Australia, it is estimated that approximately 138,000 new cancer diagnoses will be made in 2018, with the 5 year survival rate currently at 68%. This has shifted the way that cancer care is delivered, wi...

Presentation in G Weissflog (chair) Symposium: ACT interventions in the cancer setting.

Objective To describe fertility‐related informational needs and practices, and to examine if demographic characteristics are related to these needs and practices. Methods A needs assessment survey was conducted at three Canadian cancer centres. Results 192 male cancer patients (Mage=33.6) completed the survey. Most patients (70%) recalled having...

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is reportedly common, persistent, associated with significant morbidity and often higher in cancer caregivers than cancer patients. This review will summarise empirical research on FCR to understand its prevalence, severity, correlates, course and impact in families and caregivers of adults diagnosed wit...

Background: Despite numerous reports of significant distress and burden for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients and caregivers (CGs), HSCT-specific coping interventions remain rare. The few in use lack specificity and are often not easily accessible or cost-effective. Whereas the development of new interventions is resource-int...

While burden in cancer caregivers is high and associated with poor outcomes, little is known about significance of specific supportive care needs’ domains in determining survivors’ or caregivers’ perceived caregiver burden. This cross‐sectional study explored which domains of survivor‐ and caregiver‐reported supportive care needs were most associat...

Purpose: To assess the convergent validity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) depression measures relative to legacy measures and criterion validity against a structured diagnostic interview for depression in an oncology sample. Methods: 132 oncology/haematology outpatients completed the PROMIS Depression Co...

Objective: Caregiver research has relied on composite measures (e.g., count) of unmet supportive care needs to determine relationships with anxiety and depression. Such composite measures assume that all unmet needs have a similar impact on outcomes. The purpose of this study is to identify individual unmet needs most associated with caregivers' a...

Background: With the burden of chronic illness increasing globally, self-management is a crucial strategy in reducing healthcare costs and increasing patient quality of life. Low income and low health literacy are both associated with poorer health outcomes and higher rates of chronic disease. Thus, self-management represents an important healthca...

Objectives A high proportion of care stemming from chronic disease or disability in low-income and middle-income countries is provided by informal caregivers. The goal of this study was to determine the level of burden experienced by these caregivers, explore associated factors and assess whether caregivers’ and non-caregivers’ health differed. De...

Supported self-care interventions are a low-intensity treatment for depression that has received little research attention in the cancer population. This is a phase II intervention only study to test the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a depression self-care intervention for cancer patients who have completed their prima...

Purpose: To examine (a) approaches used by oncologists to administer the Palliative Care Needs Assessment Tool (PC-NAT) in consultations with patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers, (b) potential of this tool to facilitate discussion of psychosocial issues, and (c) whether use of the tool alters the length of consultations. Design: A qu...

Objective The cost of implementing professionally-led psychosocial interventions has limited their integration into routine care. To enhance the translation of effective psychosocial interventions in routine care, a self-administered format is sometimes used. The meta-analysis examined the efficacy of written self-administered, psychosocial interve...

In 2015, approximately 2.7 million Australians were unpaid caregivers, including partners, family members, friends and neighbours. However, the true population of Australian caregivers may be under-estimated due to lack of carer self-identification, and this may be even more so for Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds an...

La dépression est un problème répandu, sérieux, et souvent chronique chez les aînés, qui sont souvent atteints de maladies physiques chroniques, et affecte de façon négative leurs traitements et leurs soins. Malheureusement, le taux de détection et de suivi adéquat de la dépression est faible dans cette population. Au cours des deux dernières décen...

PurposeWhile online interventions are increasingly explored as an alternative to therapist-based interventions for cancer-related distress, limitations to efficacy potentially include low uptake and adherence. Few predictors of uptake or adherence to online interventions have been consistently identified, particularly in individuals with cancer. Th...

Transitions between diagnosis, treatment and survivorship are psychologically stressful for cancer patients. As a values-based intervention, emphasising return to functional living, ACT may improve wellbeing in this population. This study investigates associations between ACT components and patient-reported outcomes in a cohort of cancer patients....

Background Sample selection can substantially affect the solutions generated using exploratory factor analysis. Validation studies of the 12-item World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) have generally involved samples in which substantial proportions of people had no, or minimal, disability. With the WHODAS 2...