Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41066415›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of the Informed Health Choices-Cancer programme: A pilot randomised trial protocol.

Mengqi Li, Marie Tierney, Claire Beecher, Maura Dowling, Austin G Duffy, Caitriona Duggan, David Robert Grimes, Avril Kennan, Claire Kilty, Allen Nsangi and 4 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Mengqi LiCentre for Health Research Methods, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5751-7164
Marie TierneyCentre for Health Research Methods, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Claire BeecherCentre for Health Research Methods, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Maura DowlingSchool of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Austin G DuffyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Caitriona DugganSchool of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9127-0492
David Robert GrimesBiostatistics Unit, Discipline of Public Health and Primary Care, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Avril KennanHealth Research Charities Ireland (HRCI), Dublin, Ireland.
Claire KiltyIrish Cancer Society, Dublin, Ireland.
Allen NsangiDepartment of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Andrew D OxmanCentre for Epidemic Interventions Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Derek C StewartEvidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Elaine ToomeySchool of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5941-0838
Declan DevaneCentre for Health Research Methods, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9393-7075

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMore than one-third of cancer-related health information is unreliable or misleading. With increasing health information seeking, the risks of misinformation exposure are growing. Educational approaches that are delivered clearly and in accessible formats are a promising way to strengthen critical thinking and decision-making skills, thereby helping to reduce the exposure of those impacted by cancer to misleading cancer information.

methodsThis pilot randomised trial will assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a larger definitive trial evaluating the Informed Health Choices-Cancer (IHC-C) programme. The IHC-C is an online evidence-based education programme co-designed by stakeholders, including public and patient partners. It aims to equip people impacted by cancer (i.e., current patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones) with the skills and knowledge necessary to think critically about the reliability of health information and claims and make informed health choices. Participants will be randomised to either the IHC-C intervention group or a waitlist control group. The primary outcome of this pilot trial are feasibility (recruitment and retention rates, etc.) and acceptability (participant satisfaction and perceived usefulness, etc.). Demographic and cancer-related data will be collected to characterise the sample and inform recruitment strategies for a future definitive trial. Preliminary measures of critical thinking and decision-making skills will also be gathered to support the selection of key outcomes for the future trial. DISCUSSION: This pilot trial will inform the design and conduct of a future definitive randomised trial. Insights gained will inform sample size estimations, refine recruitment strategies, optimise programme delivery, and improve data collection processes, ensuring a robust and scalable approach for the definitive trial.

Indexed as

Choice BehaviorNeoplasmsDecision MakingFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID41066415
PMCPMC12510521

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.