iCanCope With Post-Operative Pain (iCanCope PostOp): Development of a Smartphone-based Pain Self-management Program for Adolescents Following Surgery
The Hospital for Sick Children
Summary
There are few applications available in the community to help teenagers manage pain after surgery. The focus of this study is to better understand the pain experience of children after having surgery and to design a Smartphone app called "iCanCope with Post-Operative Pain" (iCanCope PostOp), to help children and parents to better manage pain at home after surgery. The app will help keep track of pain, provide information about the teenager's surgery and provides "in-the-moment" advice wherever and whenever the patient needs it.
Description
More than 80,000 Canadian children undergo surgery each year. Despite evidence-based pain management and clinical standards, moderate to severe postoperative pain in children is common. Inadequate postoperative pain management contributes to poor health outcomes, increased opioid use, and the development of chronic postsurgical pain. Successful postoperative pain management requires regular monitoring and treatment of pain after hospital discharge. Smartphones are nearly ubiquitous, and growing evidence supports their use to overcome barriers to pain care. Computerized clinical decision suppor…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 12–18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. aged 12 to 18 years; 2. own a smartphone compatible with the iCanCope app (iOS or Android); 3. diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis or pectus carinatum or pectus excavatum; 4. are able to speak and read English; and 5. scheduled to undergo scoliosis or minimally invasive pectus repair surgery. Exclusion Criteria: 1. significant cognitive impairment or other co-existing medical condition that could limit the ability to use the iCanCope app, as identified by their health care provider; 2. participated in a previous study of iCanCope PostOp; 3. a diagnosed chro…
Interventions
- BehavioraliCanCope Post Op Application
The iCanCope program is designed to enhance pain self-management and self-efficacy, defined as perception of one's ability to successfully produce a desired effect in a task or behavior affecting their life. The intervention will be delivered on the iOS or Android smartphone platform depending on the participant's device. Usage of app features will be centrally tracked by the research team using Analytics Platform to Evaluate Effective Engagement (APEEE), developed at the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. Participants will receive alerts through iCanCope to complete a pain diary check-in once per week preoperatively, twice per day over the initial 2-week postoperative period, and once per day for the subsequent 2-week period.
Locations (2)
- Boston Children's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts
- Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, Ontario