Electronic Assessment and Tracking of Pain at Home: A Prospective Study in Children With Hematologic or Solid Tumors

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the intensity and characteristics of pain, which was assessed at home by children with cancer or their parents using an app for mobile devices, for a 1-month poststudy enrollment. The participants of this observational prospective study were outpatients at the hematology/oncology department of an academic hospital in Italy, aged between 0 and 21 years, and receiving hospital-at-home care. Patients or their parents were asked to assess pain levels for one month at home using the Faces, Legs, Arms, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale for patients aged <4 years and the Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù (OPBG) tool for patients aged 4 to 21 years. At study conclusion, parents were asked to complete a survey about their satisfaction with the app and to rate their child’s health in general, pain intensity, and frequency in the past 4 weeks. Of the 124 participants using the app, 94 (75.8%) reported pain (≥1) at least once during the 1 month. Of these, 53 (56.4%) at most reported mild pain, 33 (35.1%) moderate pain, and eight (8.5%) severe pain. The abdomen was identified as the most frequent (56.3%) pain site by patients aged 4 to 21 years. The child’s maximum pain intensity during the study period was negatively correlated with the parent’s report of the child’s health during the past month ( r = −.29, p < .01). Most of the participants were satisfied with the app and the information received about app usage. In conclusion, the app facilitated pain assessment and tracking in patients receiving hospital-at-home care.

Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Roles of mHealth Applications in Supporting Cancer Pain Self-Management: Integrative Review

“…The characteristics and methodology of the 20 studies were detailed in Tables 1 and 2 . The included studies involved quantitative design (RCT (n=4) [ 31 , 32 , 39 , 49 ], quasi-experimental (n=3) [ 34 , 36 , 40 ], prospective (observational, cohort; n=4) [ 33 , 35 , 37 , 38 ], cross-sectional design (n=1) [ 41 ], qualitative design (n=3) [ 42 , 46 , 48 ], and mixed methods design (n=5) [ 43 - 45 , 47 , 50 ]). The sample sizes ranged from 11 to 234.…”

“…In addition, 8 studies were conducted in specific age subgroups other than adult patients with cancer. These included studies involving children [ 33 , 38 , 45 , 47 ], school-age children [ 44 ], adolescents [ 34 , 42 ], and adult survivors of childhood cancer [ 49 ]. Four studies investigated pain management under specific cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy [ 44 , 45 , 47 ] or concurrent radiotherapy [ 40 ].…”

Parent and clinician perceptions and recommendations on a pediatric cancer pain management app: A qualitative co-design study

“…Young children with cancer, including toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children, are particularly vulnerable to undermanaged pain due to their limited ability for pain selfreport and their reliance on caregivers for pain management and treatment. Current research shows that digital innovations such as real-time smartphone-based pain management support apps may have positive impacts on pain outcomes in adolescents with cancer [5,[8][9][10], but no investigations have been conducted into such tools for managing pain in younger children with cancer, especially outside the hospital setting. Recent reviews indicate that well-used digital patient or caregiver-focused cancer care interventions have potential for significantly positive health impacts-including around symptom distress [11,12].…”

Home Cancer Care Research: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis (1990–2021)

“…So far, the related research has been summarized in several literature review studies focusing on the type of home-based intervention, such as end-of-life care for terminal cancer patients [ 15 ], nutritional interventions [ 16 , 17 ], exercise program or physical activity interventions [ 18 ], and chemotherapy [ 19 , 20 ]. Other review papers have focused on home intervention outcomes, such as health outcomes [ 21 ], patient experience [ 22 , 23 ], caregiver experience [ 15 , 24 ], safety [ 25 ], and cost [ 7 ]; meanwhile, others have focused on specific cancer types, such as lung cancer [ 26 ] and hematologic malignancies [ 27 ], or on specific populations such as pediatric cancer patients [ 28 , 29 ] or caregivers [ 30 ].…”