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A pilot study of the preliminary efficacy of Pain Buddy: A novel intervention for the management of children's cancer‐related pain
Author(s) -
Hunter John F.,
Acevedo Amanda M.,
GagoMasague Sergio,
Kain Alexandra,
Yun Christine,
Torno Lilibeth,
Jenkins Brooke N.,
Fortier Michelle A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.28278
Subject(s) - medicine , intervention (counseling) , mhealth , randomized controlled trial , physical therapy , pain management , cancer pain , pain assessment , cancer , pain catastrophizing , chronic pain , psychological intervention , psychiatry
Objectives Cancer‐related pain in children is prevalent and undermanaged. Mobile health (mHealth) applications provide a promising avenue to address the gap in pain management in children with cancer. Pain Buddy is a multicomponent mHealth application developed to manage cancer‐related pain in children. The goal of this paper is to present preliminary efficacy data of the impact of Pain Buddy on children's pain severity and frequency. Methods In a randomized controlled trial over 60 days, children ( N = 48) reported daily pain on a tablet while receiving usual care. Those in the intervention group ( N = 20) received remote symptom monitoring and skills training for pain management. Children in the attention control group ( N = 28) only reported on their pain. Results Both groups experienced significant reductions in average daily pain over the study period (B = −0.10, z = −3.40, P = 0.001), with no group differences evident ( z = −0.83, P = 0.40). However, the intervention group reported significantly fewer instances of moderate to severe pain compared with the control group, t (4125) = 2.67, P = 0.007. In addition, the intervention group reported no instances of moderate to severe pain toward the end of the study period. Conclusion Pain Buddy is an innovative and interactive mHealth application that aims to improve pain and symptom management among children with cancer. The findings from this pilot study suggest that Pain Buddy may aid in the reduction of pain severity in children during cancer treatment.