Even once they’ve entered remission, cancer survivors face multiple challenges, including "chemobrain," neuropathy, and other physical, mental, and visual impairments caused by their cancer treatment. The effects of aging only compound these difficulties.
Digital apps and other tech interfaces can be a lifeline for these survivors, but the technology design often doesn’t account for the challenges they face interacting with the programs.
A new project aims to improve digital health support for cancer survivors aged 50 and older by addressing social, emotional, and functional needs while considering cognitive, visual, and motor impairments.
"Designing Accessible Care Tools with Cancer Survivors" is led by co-PIs Sharifa Sultana, an iSchool faculty affiliate and assistant professor in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, and Jun Zhang, an oncologist at OSF Health Care. Associate Professor Rachel Adler and Teaching Assistant Professor Yildiz Esener are key research personnel.
The project has received a $100,000 grant through Jump ARCHES, a partnership between OSF HealthCare, The Grainger College of Engineering, and the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine in Peoria.
The team will design, develop, and evaluate an accessible digital health intervention tailored for cancer survivors and focused on four core domains essential to survivorship wellbeing: emotional resilience, social connection, cognitive engagement, and health self-management.
"This grant will allow us to support the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of cancer survivors," Adler said, "while also designing for cognitive, visual, and motor challenges that can arise from cancer and its treatment."
A crucial component of the work is input from the people who will be using the intervention.
"Through close collaboration with cancer survivors, caregivers, and clinical stakeholders, the project will create and evaluate an impairment-aware, accessible design framework to help bridge the care gap and advance more inclusive digital health solutions for cancer survivors," Esener said.
The three Illinois researchers are uniquely suited for the project. Sultana investigates appropriate ways to co-develop AI with communities. Adler is particularly interested in designing applications for and with people with disabilities. Esener’s work, grounded in principles of human-computer interaction (HCI), human-centered design, and user experience, contributes to the development and evaluation of effective, inclusive mental health technologies.
"By integrating multi-modal interaction, simplified navigation, and participatory co-design with clinicians and survivors," Sultana said, "we move beyond generic accessibility standards to advance patient-centered health technology and enhance long-term psychosocial well-being."