REMOTE-GO: smartphone-based cancer rehabilitation

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Adapting a smartphone-based rehabilitation programme for older adults living with and beyond cancer: a development study using Intervention Mapping

• IRAS ID

  313413

• Contact name

  Cynthia Forbes

• Contact email

  cindy.forbes@hyms.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Hull

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  The number of people living with and beyond cancer is growing; many are over 65 years old who often have different and more complicated healthcare needs than younger people.
  Regular physical activity, together with healthy eating, helps people maintain their daily activities and improves their energy levels and quality of life particularly those living with or beyond cancer.

  However, many older adults living with or beyond cancer are inactive with an unhealthy diet. Supervised activity programmes improve health short-term, but less so longer-term, and the pandemic has restricted available support.
  We need to understand how lifestyle behaviours can aid in cancer recovery
  and remote delivery is being encouraged by the NHS as stated in the NHS Long Term Plan. Our own research and patient and public involvement (PPI) work shows most older adults with cancer would like a personalised wellbeing programme. However, there are obstacles to overcome in such a programme, such as patients not knowing what is safe or having enough feedback from healthcare professionals.

  We plan to work with 30 older adults living with and beyond cancer to learn about what is important to them, their daily activities, and their needs and preferences for a personalised smartphone-based wellbeing programme. We will also talk to practitioners to learn their perspective. The findings will be used to adapt a cancer-specific version of a smartphone-based programme shown to be effective in heart disease rehabilitation. We will then complete user testing with 10 older adults living with and beyond cancer.

  At the end of this study, we will have developed a personalised smartphone-based programme for older adults living with and beyond cancer. The programme will then be ready to use in an early clinical trial to look for signs of patient benefit.
  

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  22/EE/0274

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 Nov 2022

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion