Patient-reported usefulness of an intervention to promote job retention among women undergoing (neo)adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy

1586 Background: Women who undergo (neo)adjuvant breast cancer chemotx are at risk of job loss, especially if they lack work accommodations. We developed TEAMWork (Talking to Employers And Medical staff about Work), an English/Spanish mobile application (app) to help women identify work accommodations relevant to their needs, negotiate with their employers to receive these accommodations, and communicate with the clinic team to manage symptoms. TEAMWork will be compared to a booklet as a job-retention tool in an ongoing randomized clinical trial (RCT). Here we present acceptability data based on RCT participants’ perceptions of the app’s usefulness. Methods: Eligible participants were women aged 18-64, who spoke English/Spanish, were able to use and had access to a smartphone/tablet, were undergoing or planned to undergo (neo)adjuvant chemotx for stage I-III breast cancer, and were working full or part time for pay. Women who had stopped working due to the diagnosis were eligible. Those who had stopped working for reasons unrelated to breast cancer (e.g., prior illness disability) were ineligible. Online surveys were self-administered or administered interview-style (per participant preference) at baseline and midway through the planned chemotx. In the second survey, participants were asked if they had used TEAMWork at all since enrollment; those who said they had used it were asked about the app’s usefulness. Results: 58 participants received the app; 56 received the booklet. 64% were white, 18% were Black, and 12% were Asian; 7% were Hispanic. 4% were Spanish-speaking. 79% had at least a college education. When surveyed half-way through their chemotx regimen, 62% of those randomized to the app said they had used the app; only 25% of those randomized to the booklet said they had used the booklet (p<0.0001). Among those who reported having used the app (n=36), 86% said they were very (44%) or somewhat (42%) satisfied with TEAMWork, and 94% said they thought TEAMWork would be very (61%) or somewhat (33%) helpful to other patients. Additional details about the perceived usefulness of the app are shown. Conclusions: Compared to participants randomized to the booklet, more than twice as many who received the app reported that they had used their assigned intervention. Among those who used it, the app was well-received and was deemed especially helpful for communicating with medical providers. Recruitment to the RCT is ongoing, and job retention results will be presented when data are mature. Efforts are under way to increase the diversity of the study sample based on ethnicity, language, and education. Clinical trial information: NCT03572374 .[Table: see text]