Technology-Enabled Psychosocial Support for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Caregivers: Case Study of Healthcare and Not-for-profit Resources with Social Media Capabilities
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Authors
Belitzky, Ellen
Issue Date
2020-08-31
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Healthcare services , Knowledge management , Organization capability , Pediatric oncology , Social media , Technology management
Alternative Title
Abstract
Due to the acute, life-threatening nature of a pediatric cancer diagnosis, medical attention is paramount. Primary clinical care is usually insufficient to support quality of life for the patient and family in the long term. Psychosocial care should be provided with rigor in parallel but is often a secondary consideration with wide and long-lasting consequences after the acute crisis is in control. This problem may be evident at many levels: medical protocol compliance, behavioral and emotional effects of treatment, family and social impact of continuing care, or financial and economic challenges. Technology-enabled psychosocial support can contribute to enhancing patient and caregiver quality of life through enabling tools and processes in the health care system. A qualitative study was conducted via literature review, survey, and website analysis. These sources enable presentation of a framework to evaluate cases of pediatric oncology psychosocial support and identification of success and risk factors to technology adoption. The study may be impactful with several applications which provide opportunity for future research including pediatric patient self-advocacy for adult survivorship and family mental health issues. Caregivers may find on-demand support from multiple sources inside and outside their own communities. Adult patients and caregivers might learn from pediatric oncology best practice, particularly people with geographically dispersed families who could use successful technology capabilities.
Description
Citation
E. Belitzky, "Technology-Enabled Psychosocial Support for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Caregivers: Case Study of Healthcare and Not-for-profit Resources with Social Media Capabilities", Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Engineering, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2020.