Development of the Cancer Survivor Profile-Breast Cancer (CSPro-BC) app: patient and nurse perspectives on a new navigation tool.

Abstract

Despite advancements in care, cancer survivors continue to report unmet needs following active cancer treatment. The Cancer Survivor Profile-Breast Cancer (CSPro-BC) application (app) was developed to help address these needs, using breast cancer survivors (BCS) as a pilot group. This paper describes the app development, BCS and nurse perceptions of the app, and changes made based on this feedback. The CSPro-BC app was developed for use on an iPad and includes (1) administration of a 15-20-min survey assessing 18 needs, (2) generation of a profile of needs, relative to a reference group of BCS (median 2years post-treatment), and (3) provision of problem-specific online resources. Perceptions of the app were evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Feedback was elicited from nurse navigators and BCS. BCS were recruited until the point of saturation. BCS (N = 11) were middle-aged and a median of 2.4months post active treatment. Structured questionnaires indicated the following: survey covered meaningful problem areas, profile display was clear, and nurse's involvement was helpful. Follow-up interviews (2weeks later) revealed that BCS shared their profile with others, but most BCS did not use the resources and those who did thought there were too many. Nurses (N = 3) said the app increased appointment time, but prompted them to discuss areas often not covered in typical BCS follow-up. Feedback by end users directly informed revision of the app. The CSPro-BC app has been optimized based on BCS feedback.