MyPatientPal: An App to Help Patients Manage Their Cancer Care

MyPatientPal: An App to Help Patients Manage Their Cancer Care

MyPatientPal was developed in collaboration with both patient and oncologist stakeholders, is designed to facilitate such patient self-management through the daily reporting of side effects and medications.

MyPatientPal is a patient app that is designed to help patients track and manage treatment side effects and medication adherence on a daily basis. Side effects (e.g., pain, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea) can be physically and emotionally debilitating, and when uncontrolled, can cause treatment complications, resulting in unscheduled care costs, patient out-of-pocket costs, and delays or discontinuation of treatment. The app allows personalization of daily entries such that patients can select the specific medications and dosage and side effects (using items from the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) that they and/or their providers want to track. A charting feature provides an easy-to-read display of patients' daily reports, summarizing the intensity and frequency of side effects and medication use either by week or by month. These reports can also be printed out and shared with providers.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have a diagnosis of any solid tumor cancer
• Be starting treatment using an oral cancer therapeutic agent
• Be able to speak, read, and write English
• Willing and able to use their smartphone to use MyPatientPal

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with cognitive or perceptual disturbances