Development of a Mobile App to Support Head and Neck Cancer Caregiving: Mixed Methods Study.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutritional Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors experience significant swallowing difficulties and weight loss post-treatment.
• Caregivers face substantial burdens and feel unprepared to manage nutritional needs at home.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mobile support application for HNC caregivers, focusing on nutritional support.
• To integrate survivor and caregiver needs into a user-friendly digital intervention.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining a national dietitian survey and dyadic interviews with HNC survivors and their caregivers.
• Thematic analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics from quantitative data informed app content.

Main Results:

• Dietitians, survivors, and caregivers identified nutritional concerns (swallowing, feeding tubes, weight) and caregiver distress as highly important.
• Key caregiver tasks included tracking concerns, teamwork, and decision-making.
• Five themes emerged: nutritional challenges, symptom overlap, emotional impact, caregiver tasks, and information needs.

Conclusions:

• The study identified optimal content for a mobile app supporting HNC caregivers.
• The developed Healthy Eating and Recovery Together (HEART) app is deemed acceptable for implementation post-HNC treatment.