LifeChamps end-user apps have already entered the final design phase, before the implementation and real-life testing, which has only been possible due to synergies between the LifeChamps clinical and technical partners. Therefore, before release the beta version of these apps, the preliminary feedback of the LifeChamps end-users, both older adult cancer patients and clinicians, is of utmost importance. In this framework, a first round of workshops have been conducted between the 28th of June and the 3rd of August by the LifeChamps clinical pilot partners (APC, AUTH, HULAFE, UofG). In these workshops, the LifeChamps apps have been demonstrated to both older adults and their caregivers (the LifeChamps mobile app) and clinicians (the LifeChamps dashboard), and their qualitative feedback has been collected. A total number of 21 older adults/relatives, as well as over 19 clinicians (oncologists, nurses, healthcare managers etc.) attended the workshops in the 4 pilot sites (Sweden, Greece, Spain, UK).
Older adults were asked about the potential improvement in their quality of life and health monitoring in their daily routine using the LifeChamps mobile app. They were also requested to share their views on the user interface and the features of the app (colors, letter size, menus, amount of information), as well as the way of reporting their health status (questionnaires, numeric evaluation of symptoms, etc) and receiving advice (amount of information, images etc). Overall, they found the app user-friendly and easy-to-use. However, they asked for more personalized content, highlighting the importance of the “life-coaching” aspect. Additionally, older adults and their caregivers showed some concerns regarding the sharing of sensitive information and the lack of online clinical feedback.
On the other hand, clinicians were asked about how the LifeChamps dashboard could meet healthcare professionals’ needs for keeping track of patients’ health status in the daily clinical practice. Generally, they found the LifeChamps dashboard very comprehensive and information-rich, but they requested for additional features, related to the filtering of the reported information, for example, notifications and highlights of the latest changes in patientsrecords. Moreover, clinicians expressed their positive views on the monitoring of end-users’ activities in their everyday living, stressing that this could be a great indicator of their quality of life in the period after cancer treatment. Most of the clinicians would recommend the use of the LifeChamps dashboard to other healthcare professionals.
Ultimately, the feedback collected at this workshop was then translated into new requirements to be incorporated into the development phase of the beta versions of the LifeChamps end-users apps.
