INSPIRE grant title: Supporting families of children with cancer: DAPHNE, the conversational companion for social needs and toxic stress reduction
> More about our INSPIRE Research Challenge
As a recipient of an INSPIRE grant, our mission is clear: we are committed to creating innovative solutions that will not only screen for the social needs of paediatric cancer patients in real-time but also play a pivotal role in eliminating toxic stress from their lives.
This transformative project represents a significant step forward in our ongoing fight against cancer, ensuring that the youngest among us receive the holistic care they deserve. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to World Cancer Research Fund for their unwavering dedication to this project and countless others that serve as a beacon of hope for enhancing the care of individuals battling cancer. – Dr Micah Skeens
Background
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it affects not just the child but also their entire family, causing significant emotional, financial, and practical challenges. Families often struggle with complex issues, such as financial hardships, emotional stress, difficulties accessing healthcare, limited support networks, and complicated schedules related to treatment. These ongoing stressors can lead to a condition called toxic stress, where constant stress negatively impacts both the physical and emotional health of children and caregivers. Toxic stress can make it hard for families to cope, manage care effectively, and support their child’s overall development. Finding ways to address these social and emotional challenges through easy-to-use, innovative tools is essential to improving family health and quality of life.
Aims and objectives
The goal of this study was to create and test a user-friendly chatbot named DAPHNE, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). DAPHNE was designed to identify and manage the specific social and emotional needs of families caring for a child with cancer. By providing timely, real-time support, the chatbot aimed to reduce the stress experienced by caregivers and enhance their overall well-being, ultimately helping to improve health outcomes and promote greater fairness in pediatric cancer care.
Methods
The research was conducted in two phases. First, the chatbot DAPHNE was developed collaboratively through discussions with groups that included healthcare providers, social workers, parents of children with cancer, and community advocates. These groups helped ensure that the chatbot was empathetic, practical, and effective in addressing real-world family needs. Second, the usability and effectiveness of DAPHNE were tested by 40 caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer. Participants used the chatbot, completed usability surveys, and participated in detailed interviews to share their experiences and provide feedback on the chatbot’s clarity, ease of use, and usefulness.
Key findings
The study found that caregivers were very satisfied with DAPHNE. They rated it highly on accessibility (83%), ease of use (83%), and usefulness (78%), with many caregivers finding it very valuable (68.3%). Participants praised the chatbot for its attractive design, quick responses, clear organisation, and ease of navigation. Feedback from caregivers also emphasized how helpful and intuitive the chatbot was in understanding and responding effectively to their specific social and emotional needs, significantly helping reduce their stress.
Conclusions
This research clearly shows that DAPHNE is an acceptable and easy-to-use AI tool for helping families manage social and emotional challenges related to paediatric cancer. Further studies involving larger groups of families will help confirm DAPHNE’s effectiveness and expand its use in paediatric cancer care.
Impact
Its high usability and positive feedback from caregivers suggest that it can be an important resource in supporting families and improving their overall quality of life. By integrating AI technology into cancer care, it has the potential to revolutionise the identification and management of social needs in paediatric oncology.
