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Caregiver Communication About Cancer : Development of a mhealth resource to support family caregiver communication burden
Author(s) -
Wittenberg Elaine,
Xu Jiayun,
Goldsmith Joy,
Mendoza Yesenia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.4950
Subject(s) - mhealth , family caregivers , caregiver burden , resource (disambiguation) , stakeholder , psychology , caregiver stress , quality (philosophy) , knowledge management , nursing , internet privacy , medicine , psychological intervention , computer science , public relations , dementia , computer network , philosophy , disease , epistemology , pathology , political science
Objective The aim of this study is to illustrate an evidence‐based and theoretically informed mhealth resource (smartphone app) designed to provide communication support for informal cancer caregivers (friends or family members). Methods An eight‐step process was conducted: ( a ) review of existing print resources, ( b ) selection of theoretical framework for content development, ( c ) integration of stakeholder feedback and literacy assessment into an alpha print model, ( d ) review of existing mhealth resources, ( e ) development of prototype, ( f ) assessment of caregiver acceptability (n = 5), ( g ) assessment of quality and perceived impact by cancer providers (n = 26), and ( h ) acceptability testing with caregivers (n = 6). Results Key stakeholders were integrated throughout development and user testing of this iOS smartphone app. The smartphone app consists of talking tips and resources for caregiver communication with the patient, family, far away family, and health care providers, as well as general information sharing features. Conclusions This study demonstrates feasibility and development of an evidence‐based and theory‐driven mhealth resource to support caregiver communication about cancer. This is the first theory‐driven mhealth application created to support the communication burden experienced by cancer caregivers. A larger study is needed to establish the efficacy of the app as an intervention for caregivers.