Keywords: cancer, pain management, self-management, eHealth

Pain is a common and severe problem in cancer patients. Current care regimens are often insufficient in terms of controlling pain in the home environment. This dissertation describes the development and evaluation of an eHealth intervention in cooperation with patients, care professionals, researchers and companies (IDEE and Sananet).

The intervention comprises the following aspects: a house visit, an app for patients, a web application for nurses and follow-up actions. Patients register pain, related symptoms and medication usage on a daily basis by using an app. They receive feedback and information. A website allows nurses to access the data and monitor their patients at a distance. Based on the patient’s level of pain, they give support and communicate with the treating physician, the pain management specialist or the palliative care consultation team. The aim of the intervention is to support self-management and contribute to pain reduction and an improved quality of life. Evaluations confirm that the eHealth intervention is implementable and of great value in daily practice.

This study was funded by the Dutch Cancer Society.