Feed-bApp – Feedback Features of Varying (Cost-)Intensity in a Paediatric Pain App and Their Influence on Quality of Care

Project Duration 2021 – 2024

Funding The project is funded by the Joint Federal Committee Innovation Fund.

Chronic, sometimes severely disabling pain is a common health problem among children and adolescents. The best treatment available to them is a short and intensive pain therapy consisting of medical as well as psychosocial therapy components. During their inpatient stay, patients acquire strategies to deal with their pain. Parents are included in this treatment approach since they are a vital component of the kids’ social environment. After discharge, patients and parents need to apply their gained knowledge in their everyday lives. This can be challenging and families can get discouraged when facing setbacks on their own. Without continuous feedback along the way, treatment success could be compromised.

This is where the project Feed-bApp comes in: An app designed by researchers supports children and their parents in dealing with pain in their family lives using feedback features of varying intensity. The app is accessible anytime and builds on young people’s affinity for digital media. The research team is conducting a multicentric randomised controlled trial including about 400 patients below 18 years and their parents. The study aims to shine light on the association of the different feedback intensities with pain related disability and treatment satisfaction. Further it will be analysed how the app use is connected to the relationship of health care professionals, patients and parents, and if the app can contribute to reducing therapy costs. Feed-bApp is funded with about 2.4 million Euros and will be running for three years.

With this app researchers hope to improve treatment as well as reduce costs for the health care system. Moreover, general guidelines on the use of feedback features in health apps will be developed. Applying these findings to other fields of health care will be possible.

Participating Institutions

Lead Management: PedScience Vestische Forschungs-gGmbH, Datteln

Consortium: Kinderklinik Garmisch-Partenkirchen gGmbH, Klinikum der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart gKAöR – Olgaspital, Universitätsklinikum Augsburg, Vestische Caritas-Kliniken GmbH, Private Universität Witten/Herdecke gGmbH, Barmer, Techniker Krankenkasse