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

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Digital Health
• Pain Management

Background:

• Assessing pain in children with cancer receiving hospital-at-home care presents challenges.
• Utilizing mobile applications can enhance remote patient monitoring and data collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app for assessing pain intensity and characteristics in pediatric cancer patients.
• To gauge parent satisfaction with the app and its role in managing their child's pain.

Main Methods:

• An observational prospective study enrolled pediatric oncology outpatients (0-21 years) receiving hospital-at-home care.
• Pain was assessed for one month using the Faces, Legs, Arms, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale (<4 years) or Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù (OPBG) tool (4-21 years) via a mobile app.
• Parents completed a post-study survey on app satisfaction and child's health, pain intensity, and frequency.

Main Results:

• 75.8% of 124 participants reported pain at least once.
• Most reported mild (56.4%) or moderate (35.1%) pain; severe pain was reported by 8.5%.
• Abdominal pain was most frequent (56.3%) in older children (4-21 years).
• Higher maximum pain intensity correlated with poorer parent-reported child health (r = -.29, p < .01).
• High participant satisfaction with the app and information provided was noted.

Conclusions:

• The mobile app facilitated home-based pain assessment and tracking for pediatric cancer patients.
• The findings support the use of digital tools in managing pain for children receiving hospital-at-home care.
• The app improved data collection on pain characteristics and intensity in this population.