Research area: Clinical Sciences > Brain and Mind

Overview

We understand that the end of cancer treatment can be a challenging time for some families.

LotusLab aims to help families through this time by providing information about childhood cancer experiences and answering questions about life after treatment. The app includes a library of topics, useful links, informative videos and a section for personal documents like a Treatment Summary and Surveillance Roadmap. LotusLab also provides up-to-date information on supportive care and survivorship clinical trials and can help identify which trials you might be interested in.

What is this project about?

We want to make sure that families have a say in how the app is designed and works.

We are looking for a small group of families whose child has recently completed treatment to trial the LotusLab app. We want to know if these families find it easy to use and think it would be a helpful tool for all families at the end of treatment.

What’s involved?

Murdoch Children's researchers will ask for some information about your child who was treated for cancer and your family. We would then like you to download the LotusLab app and look at the information provided.

You will be asked to fill in a brief questionnaire about your child’s quality of life. Your doctor or nurse will discuss the app and questionnaire with you during your child’s next consultation and might point you to some information that would be helpful for their stage of recovery.

Once you have had a chance to use the app, we will ask you to fill in a short questionnaire about how easy it was to use and how acceptable you found it. One of the research team will then follow up with you via phone to have a chat about the app and whether you have any suggestions for improvement.

Who is funding this project?

This project is being funded by a three-year grant from the Cancer Trials Management Scheme Competitive Grants Program administered by Cancer Council Victoria and the Victorian Government through the Victorian Cancer Agency.

We hope it will help us find ways to:

• Provide helpful information to families at the end of childhood cancer treatment
• Improve access to supportive care and survivorship clinical trials

How to get involved

Families and clinicians who would like to take part in this study or have any questions can contact Murdoch Children's Associate Professor Maria McCarthy who is leading this study. Associate Profesor McCarthy is a senior clinician and researcher in the Children’s Cancer Centre and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Contact us

Associate Professor Maria McCarthy
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The Royal Children's Hospital
50 Flemington Road
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia

Phone: 03 9345 6866

Email: [email protected]