New app can help improve quality of life for caregivers of bone marrow transplant patients

A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham showed that a new app they created can help improve the quality of life for caregivers of patients undergoing bone marrow transplant (BMT). The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial and found that caregivers assigned to use the app showed significantly greater improvements in quality of life, burden, and mood symptoms compared to those who did not have the app. They detailed their findings in a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting and a paper simultaneously published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Family and friends who care for patients getting a bone marrow transplant struggle with depression and anxiety at high rates. Their heavy caregiving burden often leads to lower quality of life. The challenges of caregiving can significantly disrupt their employment, role in the household, and personal lives. This app is designed to help address their needs."

Jamie Jacobs, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study, program director of Psychiatric Oncology and director of Caregiving Research at the Cancer Outcomes Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital

Jacobs co-developed the app with Areej El-Jawahri, MD, co-director of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program and director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivorship Program at MGH. Together, they created a one-on-one supportive counseling program called BMT-CARE, which they had previously shown can increase caregiver quality of life. But to better scale the strategy, they created a virtual version of the therapy as an app called the BMT-CARE App.

The app offers educational modules, games, and videos grounded in evidence-based psychological techniques that support the caregiver through each stage of the process - before, during, and after the transplant. The trial testing of the app included 125 caregivers, half of whom received the app in addition to the usual supportive care services. The caregivers spent a median of 146.9 minutes using the app. Compared to those who received only standard services, the group using the app had a higher quality of life, lower caregiving burden, and fewer symptoms of depression and PTSD at 60 days after transplant.

"The BMT-CARE App may be an accessible option for much-needed support for overwhelmed caregivers who don't have the time, money or energy to access mental health services," said Jacobs.

The researchers are expanding the testing of the BMT-CARE App across multiple centers and with diverse caregiver populations.