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Jibb LA, Sivaratnam S, Hashemi E, Chu CH, Nathan PC, Chartrand J, Alberts NM, Masama T, Pease HG, Torres LB, Cortes HG, Zworth M, Kuczynski S, Fortier MA. Parent and clinician perceptions and recommendations on a pediatric cancer pain management app: A qualitative co-design study. PLOS Digit Health 2023; 2:e0000169. [PMID: 38019890 PMCID: PMC10686487 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Pain is one of the most prevalent and burdensome pediatric cancer symptoms for young children and their families. A significant proportion of pain episodes are experienced in environments where management options are limited, including at home. Digital innovations such as apps may have positive impacts on pain outcomes for young children in these environments. Our overall aim is to co-design such an app and the objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of children's parents about app utility, needed system features, and challenges. We recruited parents of young children with cancer and multidisciplinary pediatric oncology clinicians from two pediatric cancer care centers to participate in audio-recorded, semi-structured, co-design interviews. We conducted interviews structured around technology acceptance and family caregiving theories until data saturation was reached. Audio-recordings were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Forty-two participants took part in the process. Participants endorsed the concept of an app as a useful, safe, and convenient way to engage caregivers in managing their young child's pain. Overall, the app was valued as a means to provide real-time, multimodal informational and procedural pain support to parents, while also reducing the emotional burden of pain care. Recommendations for intervention design included accessibility-focused features, comprehensive symptom tracking, and embedded scientific- and clinically-sound symptom assessments and management advice. Predicted challenges to app use included the workload burden it may place on parents and clinicians. The insights gathered will inform the design principles of our future childhood cancer pain digital research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay A. Jibb
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Surabhi Sivaratnam
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elham Hashemi
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Charlene H. Chu
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul C. Nathan
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Julie Chartrand
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Research Institute, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Tatenda Masama
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Hannah G. Pease
- Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Lessley B. Torres
- Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Department of Pediatric Psychology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California, United States of America
- UCI Center on Stress and Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Haydee G. Cortes
- Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Department of Pediatric Psychology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California, United States of America
- UCI Center on Stress and Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Mallory Zworth
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Susan Kuczynski
- Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michelle A. Fortier
- Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
- Department of Pediatric Psychology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California, United States of America
- UCI Center on Stress and Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
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