The Positive Impact of an Internet-Based Post-Diagnosis Disease Management Model on Patients Undergoing Opportunistic Screening for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to establish a management pathway and evaluate the efficacy of an Internet-based post-diagnosis model for upper gastrointestinal cancer patients in improving compliance, self-management, disease control, and reducing readmission, recurrence, and healthcare resource utilization compared to traditional methods. This study assembled a multidisciplinary team to establish a personalized management pathway. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 166 patients screened and biopsied at Lianyungang Hospital, who were randomly assigned to either an Internet-based intervention group or a traditional management group for a 6-month period. The primary outcome was self-management efficacy measured by the SUPPH scale, with secondary outcomes including follow-up punctuality, readmission rates, and timely pathology results. The intervention group’s mean self-management efficacy score (102.08±12.95) was significantly higher than the traditional group’s (84.35±12.22). Intragroup comparisons revealed significant improvements in self-management efficacy, follow-up punctuality, and timely acquisition of pathological results within the intervention group (p