An mHealth App to Support Caregivers in the Medical Management of their Child with Cancer: Initial Use Beta Testing (Preprint)

Abstract

Previous research demonstrated that caregivers of children with cancer desired a mobile health (mHealth) tool to aid them in the medical management of their child. Prototyping and alpha testing of the Cope 360 app resulted in improvements in the ability to track symptoms, manage medications, and prepare for urgent medical needs.

The objective of this study is to engage caregivers of children with cancer in beta testing of a mobile technology app for medical management of children with cancer, to assess acceptance, identify caregivers' perceptions and areas for improvement, and validate the app’s design concepts and use cases.

Caregivers of children with cancer used the Cope 360 mobile health app for one week, with the goal of logging in daily. Quantitative evaluations included a demographics survey and a technology acceptance survey. Recorded semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed iteratively using NVivo (version 12; QSR International) and analyzed for information on usage, perceptions, and suggestions for improvement.

A total of 10 caregivers participated in beta testing, primarily women (n=8), married, with some college education, and White, non-Hispanic (n=10). The majority of participants (n=7) had children with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) who were being treated with chemotherapy only (n=8). Overall, participants had a favorable opinion of Cope 360. Almost all participants (n=9) believed that using the app would improve their ability to manage their child’s medical needs at home. All participants (n=10) reported that Cope 360 was easy to use, and most would use the app if given the opportunity (n=8). These scores indicate that the app had a high perceived ease of use with well-perceived usefulness and behavioral intention to use. Key areas for improvement themes found in interviews included: the addition of tracking/editing all oral and subcutaneous medications, the ability to add a notes section for keeping track of medical details, and the ability to change the time of a symptom tracked or medication administered if unable to do it immediately. Tracking options suggested included monitoring skin changes, bleeding, bruising, weight, nutrition, and mental health and well-being.

The Cope 360 app was well received by caregivers of children with cancer. Our validation testing suggests that The Cope 360 app is ready for testing in a randomized controlled trial to assess outcome improvements.

N/A