Development and usability test of a symptom management WeChat Mini Program for parents of children with cancer

OBJECTIVE: Symptom management is a persistent challenge in pediatric oncology. The WeChat Mini Program, a small smartphone application that functions within WeChat, has the potential to assist in symptom management. This study aimed to develop a symptom management WeChat Mini Program for parents and children with cancer aged 5–17 years old and evaluate its usability. METHODS: Based on the semi-structured interviews with parents of children with cancer, experts in pediatric oncology and informatics and a survey of children's symptom experience, multidisciplinary research group meetings were conducted to confirm the structure and main contents of the Mini Program. The iterative method was used to develop the Mini Program. A mixed-method study was conducted to test its usability with 10 pairs of parents and children with cancer. The quantitative data were collected through the Poststudy System Usability Questionnaire, and qualitative data were collected from interviews. RESULTS: The Mini Program “Child SMILE” was developed, which includes a symptom assessment and management module, an information and emotional support module, a communication module among the parents and medical professionals, and a personal information module. Most users reported that the Mini Program is user-friendly, with satisfaction scores on the Poststudy System Usability Questionnaire ranging from 5.2 to 5.7 (out of 7.0) in four dimensions. In qualitative interviews, most participants thought the Mini Program was convenient, easy to use, and helpful. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that the Mini Program satisfies the needs of parents of children with cancer and has the potential to benefit the symptom management of children with cancer.