Our team created a self-advocacy intervention based on our previous work understanding self-advocacy in women with cancer. Knowing the essential self-advocacy behaviors women with cancer use to get their needs met, we created learning and behavioral objectives for a self-advocacy serious games. We partnered with Simcoach Games, a serious game company based in Pittsburgh, PA, to create a simulated decision-making experience that allows individuals to see the positive consequences of self-advocating for their cancer care.
In this pilot study, we looked at how women used the serious game, if it was feasible and acceptable, and if it improved their quality of life, cancer- and treatment-related symptoms, and healthcare utilization.
This study was funded by the American Cancer Society, the National Palliative Care Research Center, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. The serious game intervention was originally funded by the Beckwith Institute, Rockefeller University, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
For more information about this study, please see this article.