New app may help improve quality of life for caregivers of bone marrow transplant patients

New app may help improve quality of life for caregivers of bone marrow transplant patients

A new study by Mass General Brigham researchers showed that a new app they created may help improve the quality of life of patients undergoing bone marrow transplant (BMT). Researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial and found that caregivers assigned to use the app showed significantly greater improvement in quality of life, distress, and mood symptoms compared to those who did not have the app. They detailed their findings in a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a paper published simultaneously in theJournal of Clinical Oncology.

Family and friends who care for patients receiving bone marrow transplants struggle with depression and anxiety at high rates. Their heavy burden of care often leads to a lower quality of life. The challenges of caregiving can significantly disrupt their employment, household role and personal life. This app aims to help satisfy their needs. “

Jamie Jacobs, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study, program director for psychiatric oncology and director of nursing research at the Cancer Outcomes Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital

Jacobs developed the app with Areej El-Jawahri, MD, co-director of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program and director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Survival Program at MGH. Together, they created a one-on-one support counseling program called BMT-Care that can improve the caregiver's quality of life. To better scale the strategy, they created a virtual version of the therapy as an app called BMT Care App.

The app offers educational modules, games and videos based on evidence-based psychological techniques that support the caregiver at every stage of the process - before, during and after the transplant. Trials of the app included 125 caregivers, half of whom received the app in addition to usual supportive care services. Caregivers spent a median of 146.9 minutes using the app. Compared to those who received only standard services, the group that used the app had a higher quality of life, lower care burden, and fewer symptoms of depression and PTSD 60 days after transplant.

“The BMT Care app may be an accessible option for much-needed support for overwhelmed caregivers who do not have the time, money or energy to access mental health services,” Jacobs said.

Researchers are expanding testing of the BMT Care app in multiple centers and with diverse caregiver populations.

Sources: