Treating Pain in Children With Cancer: Pain Buddy

Pain Buddy is a user interface (application) which contains a personalized avatar (Pain Buddy) to guide children and parents through daily diary entries using mobile devices. The Pain Buddy application has been designed to be used with children age 8-18, receiving outpatient chemotherapy, as well as their parents. Pain Buddy will capture real time pain data from patients and that will ultimately allow for remote monitoring of patient symptoms. Remote symptom monitoring in real time will provide an opportunity for implementation of appropriate interventions, thereby introducing the potential to decrease pain and symptoms and improve quality of life in children with cancer. The use of symptom monitoring and skills training will further increase patient engagement in healthcare.