ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S2862

Interdisciplinary - Health economics & health services research

ESTRO 2024

2831

Digital Poster

Real-world utilisation of a digital app in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Alice Cotton 1,2 , Mary Lei 1,3

1 Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Guy's Cancer, London, United Kingdom. 2 King's College London, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, London, United Kingdom. 3 King's College London, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom

Purpose/Objective:

Radical radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) is associated with a number of toxicities that tend to become more severe during a course of treatment. Digital health apps have potential to improve symptom recognition and support self-management. We report our experience using Careology, a digital cancer care platform, that enables patients to document symptoms and access personalised self-care support. Our aim was to determine how patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) used Careology during RT, and their experience integrating Careology data into on-treatment review consultations.

Material/Methods:

A total of 69 patients (out of 110 invited) registered to use Careology routinely alongside RT (between 4-6 weeks duration, alone or in combination with systemic therapy) from December 2022 to July 2023. App usage data were collected from treatment baseline up to 8 weeks, including symptom and mood logs, and self-care activity (medication updates; articles, recipes or tips accessed; or caregiver invitations). HCP experience of using a web based interface (Careology Professional) as part of a weekly review consultation was measured with a survey. EORTC QLQ-HN43 patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were routinely collected at baseline, middle and end of treatment.

Results:

Patient adoption of Careology was 63%. On average, 59% of patient app users engaged once a week or more, over 8 weeks. Fever, pain, fatigue, cough, inflamed mouth, reduced activity levels, altered taste, anorexia, constipation, and nausea were the most reported symptoms via Careology (comprising 725 updates in total). Mood was logged by 31 57% of patients throughout RT. The number of patients updating symptoms and moods, and engaging in self-care activity via Careology reduced over time (Fig. 1). In contrast, PROMs scores indicated higher levels of symptomatology towards the end of treatment compared to baseline and mid-point (Fig. 2). HCPs rated patient symptom logs and treatment journals as the most valuable features in Careology Professional.