A qualitative study of Emotion and Symptom-focused Engagement (EASE): An integrated psychotherapeutic and early palliative care intervention for patients with acute leukemia.

[PURPOSE] Acute leukemia (AL) in adults represents an immediate threat to life, with high disease burden and profound psychological consequences. Clinically significant symptoms of traumatic stress are present in one-third of patients with newly diagnosed AL. Emotion and Symptom-focused Engagement (EASE) is a brief, integrated psychotherapeutic and early palliative care intervention that aims to alleviate traumatic stress and physical symptom burden. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the subjective experiences of the psychotherapeutic component of the intervention (EASE-Psy).

[METHODS] The study is part of a multi-centre phase III randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the effectiveness of EASE in patients with newly diagnosed AL. Twenty RCT participants (EASE n = 11; Usual Care (UC) n = 9) engaged in qualitative interviews within 6 months of initial diagnosis. Data were analyzed using interpretive description methodology.

[RESULTS] Participants described a common psychological experience of shock and derealization following AL diagnosis. Many felt that they could rely upon informal caregivers for emotional support. UC participants reported limited opportunities to process the trauma and described feelings of isolation and withdrawal. EASE participants described finding comfort and meaning in speaking to an unbiased "third party." They described therapy reaching a natural conclusion following discharge.

[CONCLUSION] The findings of this study support the acceptability and perceived benefit of EASE-Psy for adults newly diagnosed with AL. The RCT in progress will illuminate the effectiveness of EASE to relieve traumatic stress and physical symptom burden in this population.