Assessing the Needs of Patients with Cancer and Healthcare Professionals for a Digital Pain Management System: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the willingness of patients and healthcare workers to use, as well as their needs for, an intelligent cancer pain management platform. The findings will serve as a reference for developing cancer pain management tools in China.

METHODS

A Purposive sampling was used to conduct semi-structured interviews from March to June 2024 with patients experiencing chronic cancer pain, their family members, and healthcare workers in the oncology departments of two tertiary grade A hospitals in Shanghai, China. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi's seven-step analysis.

RESULTS

The needs of patients and healthcare workers for a cancer pain management app were categorized into five themes, namely, recording of pain status, medication reminders, health education, social support, and artificial intelligence assistance.

CONCLUSION

Future development of an advanced cancer pain management platform must address the multiple challenges currently faced in out-of-hospital cancer pain management, while also considering the needs and preferences of patients and healthcare workers. The platform should integrate features such as visualization of patients' pain trends, online medical education, peer support, real-time counseling, artificial intelligence assistance, and guidance for at-home self-management and supervision.