Smartphone App to Help Parents Manage Pain in Young Children With Cancer

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for the main caregiver of a child aged 2-11 years who is having cancer treatment and has had pain in the past week. Caregivers will test a smartphone app that helps manage the child's pain.

Age

The caregiver is an adult; the child must be aged 2-11 years.

Sex

All sexes can join.

Disease stage

The child is having cancer treatment and had pain rated 3/10 or higher in the week before joining.

Main reasons for not taking part

• Not being the primary caregiver of the child
• Not being able to speak and read English

The registry criteria, word for word

What the trial wants to find out

Pain is a problem for children with cancer, especially when they are outside of the hospital setting. Younger children with cancer are particularly vulnerable to undermanaged pain because of their inability to self-report pain and their reliance on parents for treatment. One method to help these children to get the best care possible is through the use of smartphone-based mHealth solutions. Smartphone apps can provide treatment advice to patients experiencing pain in real-time and in any environment. This research will use a phased and user-centered approach with family caregivers to co-design and co-evaluate the new cancer Pain Caregiver Resource (PainCaRe) app to achieve the following aims: (1) high-fidelity software development and usability refinement; (2) evaluation of trial feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT); and (3) systematic analysis of caregiver app usage patterns to refine PainCaRe for optimal engagement prior to a future RCT.

The 2 groups in the trial

• Intervention ArmTreatment being tested

  Participants will download the PainCaRe app from the web to their personal phone either virtually or in-person. Parents will receive app-based notifications to complete a pain assessment report once-daily. Assessments not completed will be marked as "missed". Parents will also have the ability to complete ad hoc pain assessments as needed. In response to the assessment indicating a child has pain, evidence-based, algorithm-driven pharmacological, physical, or psychological pain treatment guidance will be provided. This guidance is tailored to the age and developmental stage of the child.

  Treatment: Pain Caregiver Resource (PainCaRe)

• Control ArmNo study treatment, for comparison

  Parents randomized to the control arm (non-intervention group) will not be assigned to the PainCaRe app and their child will continue to receive standard medical and pain care.