Development and Evaluation of a Symptom Management Mobile Health App With Personalized Support for Children at Early Cancer Survivorship and Their Caregivers

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a mobile health (mHealth) application designed to help children aged 9 to 16 who are in the early stage of cancer survivorship, along with their primary caregivers. The study aims to see if using this symptom management app can improve children's physical function, reduce anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain interference, and enhance peer relationships. It also assesses whether caregivers experience better quality of life after using the app. This randomized controlled trial includes personalized nurse support and is sponsored by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Participants in the intervention group will use the mHealth app for 12 weeks, which provides interactive symptom management support guided by the theory of unpleasant symptoms. The app includes educational materials about cancer treatment side effects and symptom management. Caregivers and children will communicate with nurses through the app, while participants in the wait-list control group will receive the same intervention after completing all assessments, ensuring fair access. During the study, children and their caregivers will complete questionnaires at baseline and monthly for three months using the app's electronic system. Researchers will conduct semi-structured interviews to assess the app's usability, feasibility, and acceptability. The primary outcome is the severity of the child's symptoms measured three months after starting the intervention. Secondary outcomes include symptom severity at one and two months and caregiver quality of life measured monthly. The total participation spans at least three months following the intervention start.

A Symptom Management Application for Children at the Early Stage of Cancer Survivorship and Their Caregivers