ASPO Abstracts
Developing a Mobile Support Tool for Head and Neck Cancer Caregivers
Category: Survivorship & Health Outcomes/Comparative Effectiveness Research
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors face challenging treatments that can lead to disruptions in swallowing and result in malnutrition and feeding tube dependence. HNC caregivers therefore encounter distressing caregiving burdens and often feel unprepared to provide nutritional support. The purpose of this study was to develop a mobile support app (mSupport) for HNC caregivers after treatment.Methods: We characterized perspectives on nutritional recovery and mSupport intervention preferences in 1) HNC survivors and caregivers using key informant interviews and 2) oncology dietitians using a cross-sectional web-based survey. Interviews included survivors completing treatment within the past 24 months (N=15, 80% male, mean age=65) and their caregivers (N=13, 85% female, mean age=61) and content analysis was used to identify themes. Surveys were completed by oncology dietitians (N=116; 100% female, 50% in practice >10 years) to identify caregiving challenges and needed mSupport resources.Results: Survivors and caregivers highlighted primary nutritional caregiving concerns including: 1) survivor symptom management (e.g., swallowing, dry mouth/taste concerns, feeding tube management, weight maintenance) and 2) intense caregiver distress about nutrition. Dietitians perceived moderate to high levels of difficulty for caregivers to interpret changes in symptoms (80%), track intake (75%) and access nutritional resources (69%); 86% also highlighted common disagreement between survivors/caregivers about nutritional status. Participants were enthusiastic about a mobile app and emphasized the need for a simple, flexible, preference-driven design with three key components: an intake tracker, recipes and tips and support videos/messages from clinicians and peers. The majority preferred mSupport right after treatment with 2 prompts per week and the option to delay response when needed. Over 75% of dyads reported high comfort navigating questions on a smartphone or tablet and 100% were in agreement that the mSupport tool would help families practically and emotionally. Conclusions: Results pinpoint optimal content and timing for an mSupport app for HNC caregivers and demonstrate high interest in technology-supported interventions for caregivers after treatment.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, caregiving, mobile health, survivorship