Exploring New Technologies to Manage Cancer Pain in the Community
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the Desirability, Feasibility, and Practicalities of Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Improve Cancer Pain Management in the Community.
IRAS ID
166479
Contact name
Rosalind Adam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 23 days
Research summary
Cancer pain is often poorly controlled, especially in people who are managed at home in the community. Studies have shown that people with cancer pain can have difficulties monitoring and reporting pain, communicating about pain with health care professionals, and using pain medications. Health care professionals do not always assess pain well or provide adequate prescriptions for analgesics (pain killers).
Digital technology could offer innovative solutions to some of these problems. Technological solutions might include electronic diaries, available as applications or "apps", which could encourage pain monitoring, and prompt medical assessment when pain is poorly controlled. Electronic medication adherence devices could capture data on analgesic utilisation and timing. This data might be used by health care providers to inform safe and timely adjustments of analgesic doses, and could be fed back to patients to improve the way that medications are used.
Dr Adam will talk to people with cancer pain, their caregivers, and health care professionals about using digital technology to improve cancer pain management. We wish to find out how people with cancer pain and their caregivers currently use technologies such as smart phones, tablet devices, and computers and how they would feel about using digital technology to keep track of pain levels and medication use. This study will investigate: the acceptability of electronic pain diaries and electronic medication adherence devices; which features of such technology might be desirable; potential barriers to using digital technology; and how data generated from technology might be used by patients, caregivers, and health care professionals. The study will involve conducting interviews with people with cancer pain, caregivers for people with cancer pain, and health care professionals. Two focus groups will be held with professionals to allow professionals to explore and share ideas.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
15/NS/0002
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion