Publications by authors named "Claire Foster"

Purpose: Dynamic eye-tracking paradigms are an engaging and increasingly used method to study social attention in autism. While prior research has focused primarily on younger populations, there is a need for developmentally appropriate tasks for older children.

Methods: This study introduces a novel eye-tracking task designed to assess school-aged children's attention to speakers involved in conversation.

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Background: Lynch syndrome carriers ('carriers') are presented with complex, emotionally laden choices regarding management of increased genetic cancer risks. Decision aids encourage active involvement in values-based health decisions. This paper aimed to address the research question: How do Lynch syndrome carriers make sense of their chances of developing cancer, and what are the implications for providing support with decision making about genetic cancer risk management?

Methods: Adult carriers were recruited through a genetics service or involvement with Lynch Syndrome UK.

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Background: The period between cancer diagnosis and surgery presents an opportunity for trials to assess the feasibility of behaviour change interventions. However, this can be a worrying time for patients and may hinder recruitment. We describe the perspectives of patients with excess weight awaiting colorectal cancer surgery about their recruitment into a randomised trial of a prehabilitation weight loss intervention.

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Background: Pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCN) are considered premalignant conditions to pancreatic adenocarcinoma with varying degrees of cancerous potential. Management for individuals who do not require surgical treatment involves surveillance to assess for cancerous progression. Little is known about patients' experience and the impact of living with surveillance for these lesions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The research focuses on creating a Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) called Lynch Choices, specifically designed for families dealing with Lynch Syndrome, a genetic cancer susceptibility.
  • Involving both patients and an international panel of stakeholders, the project emphasizes co-designing the PtDA to ensure it meets user needs by incorporating multimedia, clearer risk presentation, and improving accessibility.
  • The study highlights that simply developing a PtDA isn't enough; effective implementation in clinical settings is crucial to make the tool beneficial for patients and clinicians, and future assessments will measure its real-world use and impact.
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We describe an overweight but otherwise previously healthy 17-year-old female who presented with altered mental status and rapidly progressive weakness. She was ultimately diagnosed with Wernicke encephalopathy and wet beriberi resulting from severe thiamine deficiency. She required admission to the pediatric ICU because of hypoventilation with progressive weakness and worsening encephalopathy and was found to have impaired cardiac function as assessed by echocardiography.

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Purpose: This scoping review identifies and characterises reported barriers and facilitators to providing integrated cancer care reported in the international literature, and develops recommendations for clinical practice.

Methods: This scoping review included literature published between 2009 and 2022 and describes the delivery of integrated cancer care between primary and secondary care sectors. Searches were conducted of an online database Ovid Medline and grey literature.

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Background: Many cancer survivors following primary treatment have prolonged poor quality of life.

Aim: To determine the effectiveness of a bespoke digital intervention to support cancer survivors.

Design: Pragmatic parallel open randomised trial.

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Background: Testing for germline pathogenic variants (GPVs) in cancer predisposition genes is increasingly offered as part of routine care for patients with cancer. This is often urgent in oncology clinics due to potential implications on treatment and surgical decisions. This also allows identification of family members who should be offered predictive genetic testing.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patient decision aids (PtDA) are tools that enhance shared decision-making between patients and healthcare professionals, aiming to improve the quality of decisions, particularly for those at increased genetic cancer risks.
  • The workshop involved patients discussing their health decision-making priorities alongside psychological and behavioral theories to help shape a PtDA that resonates with their needs.
  • Feedback revealed that decision-making is highly personal and context-dependent, indicating a flexible approach to the PtDA's design is necessary for better patient care and support.
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Aim: To explore cancer survivors' experiences of living with chronic pain after curative cancer treatment in England, UK.

Methods: A qualitative study using telephone interviews with adult cancer survivors experiencing chronic pain after curative cancer treatment. Interview data was analysed using a reflexive thematic approach [1-3].

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Purpose: This paper describes a conceptual framework of maintenance of physical activity (PA) and its application to future intervention design.

Methods: Evidence from systematic literature reviews and in-depth (N = 27) qualitative interviews with individuals with cancer were used to develop a conceptual framework of long-term physical activity behaviour. Determinants of long-term PA were listed and linked with domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework which in turn were linked to associated behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and finally to proposed mechanisms of action (MoA).

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Aim: Excess weight increases the risk of morbidity following colorectal cancer surgery. Weight loss may improve morbidity, but it is uncertain whether patients can follow an intensive weight loss intervention while waiting for surgery and there are concerns about muscle mass loss. The aim of this trial is to assess the feasibility of intentional weight loss in this setting and determine progression to a definitive trial.

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Background: Although there may be theoretical support linking positive health outcomes with cancer disclosure to social networks, women from contexts such as Ghana where cancer is not openly talked about may have concerns around breast cancer disclosure. Women may not be able to share their experiences about their diagnosis, which may prevent them from receiving support. This study aimed to obtain the views of Ghanaian women diagnosed with breast cancer about factors contributing to (non) disclosure.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with genetic cancer susceptibility face challenging choices regarding testing, treatment, and risk management, leading to a need for effective decision support resources.
  • A systematic review highlighted 36 studies on decision aids, revealing diverse resource types and mixed but generally positive effects on patients’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes.
  • There is a need for further research and development of tailored, patient-centered resources to improve decision-making and ensure successful follow-through on choices, particularly in oncology settings.
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Fire is a major evolutionary and ecological driver that shapes biodiversity in forests. While above-ground community responses to fire have been well-documented, those below-ground are much less understood. However, below-ground communities, including fungi, play key roles in forests and facilitate the recovery of other organisms after fire.

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It is widely acknowledged that social network support plays an important role in the quality of life and illness management of breast cancer survivors. However, the factors and processes that enable and sustain such support are less well understood. This paper reports baseline findings from a prospective UK national cohort of 1,202 women with breast cancer (aged <50 years at diagnosis), recruited before starting treatment, conducted in 2016-2019.

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Background: People with genetic predispositions to cancer are faced with complex health decisions about managing their risk. Decision aids can support informed, values-based decisions, alongside shared decision-making with a clinician. Whilst diagnoses of genetic predispositions to cancer are increasing, there is no scalable decision aid to support these people.

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Article Synopsis
  • A stratified approach to cancer follow-up care, including remote monitoring and self-management, is becoming more recommended, with patient portals being a key tool for access to health information.
  • In a study evaluating a patient portal for men with prostate cancer, 60% registered, but only 37% logged in at least once in 6 months, indicating room for improvement in user engagement.
  • While most users found the portal helpful and easy to use, 40% didn't use it due to factors like limited computer access and skills, highlighting the need to address these barriers to enhance care equity.
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Understanding the responses of rare species to altered fire disturbance regimes is an ongoing challenge for ecologists. We asked: are there associations between fire regimes and plant rarity across different vegetation communities? We combined 62 years of fire history records with vegetation surveys of 86 sites across three different dry sclerophyll vegetation communities in Booderee National Park, south-east Australia to: (1) compare associations between species richness and rare species richness with fire regimes, (2) test whether fire regimes influence the proportion of rare species present in an assemblage, and (3) examine whether rare species are associated with particular fire response traits and life history. We also sought to determine if different rarity categorisations influence the associations between fire regimes and plant rarity.

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Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common in older adults, with more than 70% of diagnoses in people aged ≥65 years. Despite this, there is a knowledge gap regarding longer-term outcomes in this population. Here, we identify those older people most at risk of poor quality of life (QoL) and health status in the five years following CRC treatment.

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Fire and herbivores alter vegetation structure and function. Future fire activity is predicted to increase, and quantifying changes in vegetation communities arising from post-fire herbivory is needed to better manage natural environments. We investigated the effects of post-fire herbivory on understory plant communities in a coastal eucalypt forest in southeastern Australia.

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Background: Primary care plays an important role in supporting survivors of cancer; however, support is limited because of practitioners' perceived lack of expertise and time. A digital intervention for survivors of cancer could provide an efficient way for primary care staff to support survivors of cancer without the need to accumulate expertise and skills to help patients make behavior changes; providing very brief support alongside this could maximize adherence to digital interventions. Renewed is a digital intervention that combines web-based behavior change advice with brief health care practitioner support from a nurse or health care assistant.

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