Abstract
BackgroundOne way to improve the delivery of oncology palliative care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is to leverage mobile technology to support healthcare providers in implementing pain management guidelines (PMG). However, PMG are often developed in higher-resourced settings and may not be appropriate for the resource and cultural context of LMICs.ObjectivesThis research represents a collaboration between the University of Virginia and the Nepalese Association of Palliative Care (NAPCare) to design a mobile health application (‘app’) to scale-up implementation of existing locally developed PMG.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinicians within Nepal to inform design of the app. Questions focused on knowledge, beliefs, and confidence in managing cancer pain; barriers to cancer pain management; awareness and use of the NAPCare PMG; barriers to smart phone use and desired features of a mobile app.FindingsSurveys were completed by 97 palliative care and/or oncology healthcare providers from four diverse cancer care institutions in Nepal. 49.5% (n = 48) had training in palliative care/cancer pain management and the majority (63.9%, n = 62) reported high confidence levels (scores of 8 or higher/10) in managing cancer pain. Highest ranked barriers to cancer pain management included those at the country/cultural level, such as nursing and medical school curricula lacking adequate content about palliative care and pain management, and patients who live in rural areas experiencing difficulty accessing healthcare services (overall mean = 6.36/10). Most nurses and physicians use an Android Smart Phone (82%, n = 74), had heard of the NAPCare PMG (96%, n = 88), and reported frequent use of apps to provide clinical care (mean = 6.38/10, n = 92). Key barriers to smart phone use differed by discipline, with nurses reporting greater concerns related to cost of data access (70%, n = 45) and being prohibited from using a mobile phone at work (61%; n = 39).ConclusionsSmart phone apps can help implement PMG and support healthcare providers in managing cancer pain in Nepal and similar settings. However, such tools must be designed to be culturally and contextually congruent and address perceived barriers to pain management and app use.
Highlights
High quality palliative care, which emphasizes pain management, can greatly reduce global suffering from noncommunicable diseases, such as cancer [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Overall design A cross-sectional survey was conducted with healthcare providers at four cancer care institutions within Nepal to inform design of a Nepalese Association of Palliative Care (NAPCare) pain management guidelines (PMG) mobile app
Survey items were informed by the study aims and the broader literature related to known barriers to cancer pain management and challenges related to opioid availability in low and middle-income countries across various levels of the Social Ecological Model [44]
Summary
High quality palliative care, which emphasizes pain management, can greatly reduce global suffering from noncommunicable diseases, such as cancer [1,2,3,4,5,6]. This is important in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the cancer burden is rapidly growing, and where over 70% of patients are first diagnosed with late stage cancer [7,8,9,10,11].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
