Jamie Jacobs, PhD, on Using a Digital App to Aid Caregivers for Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

“I think what's really notable about these findings is not just what significant and clinically meaningful improvements we saw in quality of life and some of our other secondary outcomes, but also how engaged caregivers were using this app content.”

For patients receiving many cell-based and other advanced therapies, including hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), the role of the caregiver is of great importance. This role can have a particularly high burden in the context of patients receiving HSCT for cancer indications. As such, means of effectively reducing caregiver burden, and addressing the psychological impacts of caregiving, are an important area of interest.

At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held May 30 to June 3, in Chicago, Illinois, Jamie Jacobs, PhD, the program director of the center for psychiatric oncology & behavioral sciences at Mass General Cancer Center, is giving a presentation entitled “Psychosocial digital application for caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): A randomized controlled trial.” The presentation covers a clinical trial evaluating the utility of a digital tablet app, referred to as the BMT-CARE App, that provides self-guided modules intended to aid caregivers before, during, and after the patient’s treatment with HSCT.

In an interview with CGTLive®, Jacobs discussed the results of the trial and their implications. She pointed out that the study, which took place at the Mass General Cancer Center, enrolled 125 caregivers and compared those who received standard care (a single meeting with a social worker) to those who also used the BMT-CARE App. At 60 days posttransplant, caregivers in the group that used the app showed significant improvements in quality of life, reduced caregiving burden, lower symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress, and better ability to cope with the stress of caregiving. Jacobs concluded that translating a previously clinician-delivered intervention into a scalable mobile format, the BMT-CARE App offers a resource-efficient solution to support caregiver mental health throughout the transplant journey.

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REFERENCE
1. Jacobs JM. Psychosocial digital application for caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): A randomized controlled trial. Presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, held May 30 to June 3, in Chicago, Illinois.