Symptom Tracking for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Cancer: User-Centered Design of the AthenaCompanion Web Application

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Oncology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Routine monitoring of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during cancer treatment is crucial for symptom management and quality of life.
• Current PRO monitoring shows suboptimal real-world engagement, particularly among older adults.
• Gamification and user-centered design are key to enhancing engagement with digital health tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a gamified symptom monitoring web application tailored for older adult cancer patients.
• To ensure the application is acceptable, usable, and responsive to patient and clinician needs through a user-centered approach.

Main Methods:

• A multiphase, mixed-methods, user-centered design study involving surveys, semistructured interviews, and iterative usability testing.
• Recruitment across online and clinical settings from 2022 to 2026.
• Involved older adults with chronic conditions, older adult cancer survivors, and clinicians.

Main Results:

• Older adults reported high mobile phone use and favorable attitudes toward gamification, with learning elements being most appealing.
• Key patient preferences included longitudinal symptom visualization, clinician-sharable reports, and optional gamification.
• Iterative testing led to significant usability improvements, reducing user experience problems by over 75%.

Conclusions:

• AthenaCompanion, a gamified PRO monitoring web application, was successfully developed for older adult cancer patients.
• Patient feedback emphasized clinical utility, clear symptom feedback, and optional gamification.
• This demonstrates the feasibility of integrating gamification into PRO monitoring for improved oncology care.