Dr. Papadakos's research and professional program is centered on three main platforms:

  1. Health Literacy and Health Communication: Developing interventions to mitigate the impact of low health literacy
  2. Self-Management: Engaging patient and families to participate in their care
  3. Patient Education: Advancing patient and family health knowledge

Evaluation of a Brachytherapy Discharge Education Program (BrachDEP) to Improve Patient Care: A Randomized Control Trial

Study Status: Active
Study Purpose: The aim of this study is to improve the education patients get about brachytherapy.
Background: Brachytherapy is a type of radiation treatment for many gynecological cancers. With brachytherapy, radiation is put inside the body near or into the tumour area to kill cancer cells. This treatment can lead to some long-term side effects. One of the most common long-term side effects is vaginal stenosis. This is when scar tissue begins to form in the vagina. Scarring makes the walls of the vagina thicker which makes the vagina narrow and short. These changes to the vagina can cause pain. A vaginal dilator is used to reduce vaginal stenosis. Patients treated with brachytherapy currently get education before, during and after treatment. The education package is often given in person by the doctor, nurse and/or brachytherapists. The package contains information about:  * vaginal care * skin care * urination * diarrhea * sexual activity
Study Methods: This study is a randomized control trial. This means people in the study will be put into one of two groups by chance (like flipping a coin). We will compare the standard education to an online version of the education. Half of patients in the study will be in the group that gets the online education and standard education from their health care team. The other half will only get the standard education from their health care team. The group that gets the standard education is called the control group. The control group allows the study team to compare results between both groups. The research team can then see how good the online education is compared to the standard education alone. Both groups will:  * complete a survey at 3 different time points  * use a diary to track how often they use their vaginal dilator
Health Conditions: Women’s Health (Gynecology)

 

For a list of Dr. Papadakos's publications, please visit PubMed or Scopus.

Scientist, The Institute for Education Research (TIER)

Co-Director, Cancer Health Literacy Research Centre, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Provincial Head, Patient Education, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)