%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 8
%P e22608
%T Development of a Mobile Health App (TOGETHERCare) to Reduce Cancer Care Partner Burden: Product Design Study
%A Oakley-Girvan,Ingrid
%A Davis,Sharon Watkins
%A Kurian,Allison
%A Rosas,Lisa G
%A Daniels,Jena
%A Palesh,Oxana Gronskaya
%A Mesia,Rachel J
%A Kamal,Arif H
%A Longmire,Michelle
%A Divi,Vasu
%+ Medable Inc, 525 University Avenue, Suite A 70, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, United States, 1 408 656 2948, ingrid@medable.com
%K cancer
%K oncology
%K mHealth
%K caregiver
%K cancer survivor
%K mobile app
%K smartphone
%K feasibility
%K caregiver burden
%K symptom reporting
%D 2021
%7 13.8.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X Background: Approximately 6.1 million adults in the United States serve as care partners for cancer survivors. Studies have demonstrated that engaging cancer survivors and their care partners through technology-enabled structured symptom collection has several benefits. Given the high utilization of mobile technologies, even among underserved populations and in low resource areas, mobile apps may provide a meaningful access point for all stakeholders for symptom management. Objective: We aimed to develop a mobile app incorporating user preferences to enable cancer survivors’ care partners to monitor the survivors’ health and to provide care partner resources. Methods: An iterative information gathering process was conducted that included (1) discussions with 138 stakeholders to identify challenges and gaps in survivor home care; (2) semistructured interviews with clinicians (n=3), cancer survivors (n=3), and care partners (n=3) to identify specific needs; and (3) a 28-day feasibility field test with seven care partners. Results: Health professionals noted the importance of identifying early symptoms of adverse events. Survivors requested modules on medication, diet, self-care, reminders, and a version in Spanish. Care partners preferred to focus primarily on the patient’s health and not their own. The app was developed incorporating quality-of-life surveys and symptom reporting, as well as resources on home survivor care. Early user testing demonstrated ease of use and app feasibility. Conclusions: TOGETHERCare, a novel mobile app, was developed with user input to track the care partner’s health and report on survivor symptoms during home care. The following two clinical benefits emerged: (1) reduced anxiety among care partners who use the app and (2) the potential for identifying survivor symptoms noted by the care partner, which might prevent adverse events. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04018677; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04018677 
%M 34398787
%R 10.2196/22608
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2021/8/e22608
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/22608
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34398787