Utility, barriers and facilitators to the use of connected health to support families impacted by paediatric cancer: a qualitative analysis

Abstract

Aim As healthcare systems are increasingly burdened, the efficiencies and cost savings offered by connected health (CH, i.e. two-way communicative healthcare technologies such as eHealth or mHealth) present an attractive solution for supporting families impacted by cancer. More research is required, however, to examine attitudes towards CH to better facilitate its use in practice. This study seeks to examine the utility, barriers and facilitators of CH use for families affected by paediatric cancer living in Ireland. Methods Healthcare professionals (n = 5) and parents of children with cancer (n = 7) completed semi-structured interviews on their experiences of and attitudes to CH via Microsoft Teams. A reflexive thematic approach to analysis was employed. Results CH was perceived to provide support for a number of current needs with themes of ‘shifting responsibilities’, ‘individualisation of care’ and ‘knowledge as power’. Through facilitating communication, information sharing and monitoring of child health, CH was perceived to support decreased parental burden and increased parental control, with positive child outcomes thought likely. Perceived barriers and facilitators to the use of CH included the ‘importance of trust’, ‘pace of change’ and ‘access’. Conclusion While results suggest an acceptance of CH across key stakeholders, barriers and facilitators should be considered to support effective implementation. While further analysis of the efficacy of CH to support families impacted by paediatric cancer is needed, these findings highlight key areas where CH may be effectively employed.

Evaluating the Usefulness and Ease of Use of a Next-Generation–Connected Drug Delivery Device for Growth Hormone Therapy: Qualitative Study of Health Care Professionals’ Perceptions

“…Our study presents an evaluation of connected injection devices to deliver r-hGH therapy using a robust methodological approach, the results of which are transferrable to digital health solutions in other therapeutic areas, especially in terms of facilitators for and barriers to technology acceptance. For example, a recent qualitative analysis concluded that barriers and facilitators should be considered for effective implementation of connected health solutions to support children with cancer and their families [ 35 ]. Although TAM is sometimes criticized for being very simplistic [ 55 ], the aim of our study was not to identify new constructs for TAM but to identify facilitators and barriers related to the core constructs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use that are common to other models and theories.…”

“…Several qualitative studies exploring HCPs' perceptions about factors and barriers related to digital health acceptance in endocrinology and other therapy areas have been published in the scientific literature [29,[31][32][33][34]. Some have explored HCPs' perceptions about mHealth tools used in children's health care [29,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37], concluding that early engagement of end users is critical to the development and effective implementation of such tools to enhance patient-centric care. Notably, a mixed methods formative research study has explored technology acceptance and the use of digital health tools for the emotional support of parents of children undergoing GH treatment, using educational content to help parents and caregivers understand their children's treatment journey [38].…”

Moving Forward With Telehealth in Cancer Rehabilitation: Patient Perspectives From a Mixed Methods Study

“…Accordingly, new models of care are required to meet these significant demands. Telehealth has the capability to help address these service demands and is widely cited in the literature as a patient-centered means of rehabilitative support that may positively affect functional outcomes [36][37][38].…”