Evaluation of Experiences With Ecological Momentary Assessment Among Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer - Qualitative Study

Sep 23, 2026

Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience major quality-of-life (QoL) declines, yet few supportive-care interventions are specifically designed to substantially improve QoL for this group. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) may be promising for patients with MBC. This qualitative study explored experiences with EMA and preferences for EMI content and delivery mode among women living with MBC, emphasizing EMIs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

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Introduction

| JMIR CANCER Taylor et al
Original Paper
Evaluation of Experiences With Ecological Momentary
Assessment Among Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: Qualitative Study | | --- | | | | Emily P Taylor1 , BS; Brenna Mossman1 , PhD; Mikaela A Velazquez-Sosa1 , BA; Zaynab Rashid 1 ; Natalie Kloster1 , BS; Maureen Schwarz 1 ; Hannah Kang 1 , BS; Jennifer D Rodriguez 1 , BA; Elizabeth L Addington2 , PhD; Judith Tedlie Moskowitz2 , MPH, PhD; Lesley Glenn3 , BS; Shontè Drakeford4 , MSN, CRNP, AGNP-C; Roxana Guerra5 ; Claudine Isaacs 1 , MD; Ami Chitalia6 , MD; Christopher Gallagher6 , MD; Deena Graham7 , MD; Suzanne C O'Neill 1 , PhD; Claire C Conley 1 , PhD | | 1Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
2Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States 3Patient Author, Project Life MBC, Calabasas, CA, United States
4Patient Author, Upper Marlboro, MD, United States 5Patient Author, Washington, DC, United States
6MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, United States
7John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack, NJ, United States
Corresponding Author:
Claire C Conley, PhD
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Georgetown University
2115 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20007
United States
Phone: +1 202-687-5086
Email: [claire.conley@georgetown.edu](claire.conley@georgetown.edu)
Abstract | Background: Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience significant quality-of-life decrements, but there are few supportive care interventions specifically designed for this group that significantly improve quality of life. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and related ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) may be particularly beneficial for patients with MBC. However, no studies have previously examined the use of EMIs in the context of metastatic cancer . Objective: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess experiences with EMA and preferences for intervention content and mode among patients living with MBC, with an emphasis on EMIs. Methods: Women with MBC (n=29) were recruited from a longitudinal, observational study of quality of life using an EMA design. In-depth qualitative interviews assessed participants’ perspectives on the EMA design, including its feasibility, acceptability, and relevance to participants’MBC experiences. Guided by participants’EMA data, the interviews also examined the impact of self-monitoring and possible interventions when patients reported high symptom burden and/or low quality of life. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The codebook was developed by reviewing a randomly selected subset of transcripts (n=5) and creating inductive, data-driven codes using the raw data, which were deductively organized into overarching themes. Results: Participants were mainly White (17/29, 59%), heterosexual (23/29, 79%), currently working (17/29, 59%), and held at least a bachelor’s degree (17/29, 59%) . Participants had been living with MBC for a median of 2.5 years (range 0.2‐16.6 years) . Most were diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive (23/29, 79%) and HER2-negative (21/29, 72%) breast cancer . Qualitative analysis identified 5 major themes. The participants reflected on their reasons for enrolling in the study, including interest in study activities and giving back to the MBC community (theme 1: participant engagement) . Most participants found the EMA format easy to complete, and they provided recommendations for improving the design of future studies, including altering the timing and frequency of questionnaires (theme 2: feedback on study design) . While less common, some participants discussed how engaging with the EMA protocol altered their experiences or behaviors (theme [https://cancer.jmir.org

FAQs

What was the study’s main objective?

To qualitatively assess experiences with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and participants’ preferences for intervention content and mode among women living with metastatic breast cancer, with an emphasis on ecological momentary interventions (EMIs).

How were participants recruited and studied?

Women with MBC (n=29) were recruited from a longitudinal observational quality-of-life study using an EMA design, and participants took part in in-depth qualitative interviews.

What did participants report about EMA and EMIs?

Most participants found the EMA format easy to complete and provided recommendations to improve future study design, while patients were open to EMIs with varying content and formats.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by River Wang