eHealth in Paediatric Oncology

Children with cancer often undergo treatment for long periods where they alternately stay in the hospital and the family home. Even during periods at home, the children can experience severe side effects of illness and treatment, and the family's care needs can be complex and extensive. In a structured development process with participatory design, families and professional caregivers have contributed to further adaptation and development of an eHealth solution for pediatric oncology care. Several new functions have been developed and tested including modules to inform about prescribed cytostatics and current test results as well as a module to report the child's diet and fluid intake. The development process is described in a scientific article (manuscript) and the new functions are currently being evaluated in an implementation study in specialized pediatric healthcare.

We have developed and tested several modules with different functions in an eHealth solution to assist self-care for children and their families when the family is at home and a child has ongoing care needs. The eHealth solution is now being evaluated in an implementation study at Skåne University Hospital. Children and parents in several specialties use the eHealth solution during periods at home with residual care needs. Evaluation takes place with the help of digital questionnaires for children and parents as well as via interviews with family members and professional caregivers with a focus on children's participation in care, as well as family members' satisfaction with care and perceived usefulness of the eHealth solution. Data collection is planned to continue during 2023.

The project is part of the FORTE-funded research program eChildhealth.