Participants and sample size
mental illness, cognitive, social environmental, prostate cancer
ONCOLOGY, PROSTATE CANCER
The aim of the program is to enable patients to learn in an encouraging and supportive environment to enhance their cognitive, social environmental, and supportive behavioral factors. The patient’s partner or significant other (hereafter referred to as a cohabitant) also was invited to participate in the study and to learn with the patient. Cohabitants can provide support and care of patients in their daily life. Therefore, the study included patients who were (1) diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent hormone therapy only; (2) living with their partner or significant other and had agreed to learn together; (3) able to communicate; and (4) able to connect to the Internet and had a smartphone. Those who (1) received radiotherapy, radical prostatectomy, or other treatments for prostate cancer; (2) suffered from mental illness; or (3) had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status equal to or above 2To our knowledge, no study with a two-group study design has been used to explore the efficacy of a multimedia-based information program for improving QOL, positive thinking, self-efficacy, or social support for patients with prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy. Thus, the current study relied on the results of an eight-week multimedia information intervention for patients with early prostate cancer to estimate the number of participants needed