Digital solutions for tackling mental health in cancer patients and their families: The ALTHEA project
Abstract
Despite advances in cancer treatment, the growing global cancer burden underscores the need for comprehensive and supportive care to address the needs of patients and their families. However, access to psycho-oncological support remains often limited across healthcare systems. This could be related to factors such as resource constraints and insufficient integration of psychological care into routine oncological pathways. Individual-level barriers also exist, including low awareness of available services, stigma, and heterogeneity in patients’ perceived needs and help-seeking attitudes. Nevertheless, psychological burden can significantly influence patients’ experience of the treatment pathway, influencing cognitive clarity, perceived self-efficacy, communication, risk perception, decision-making, and all areas of daily life. In this context, digital mental health solutions have emerged as promising tools to enhance accessibility, continuity of care, and personalisation of support. In this manuscript, we aim to describe the structure of the ALTHEA project (“tAckling menTal Health cancer patients and their families: digital solutions for bEtter cAre”), which focuses on the development of a novel web-based digital platform targeting cancer patients and their informal caregivers’ mental health across different stages of the care pathway. ALTHEA is distinguished by the presence of screening, classification into different support profiles, and tailored interventions within a single platform, as well as by its co-creation approach involving patients and stakeholders. In this line, the ALTHEA project represents a timely opportunity to integrate digital health solutions into psycho-oncology care, improving mental health outcomes, enhancing patient empowerment, and promoting a more holistic approach to cancer care.
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Authors: Ilaria Durosini, Dario Monzani, Veronica Coppini, Maria Vittoria Ferrari, Chiara Bovolenta, Asia Grigis, Giuseppe Curigliano, Paola Zagami, Elisabetta Munzone, Ida Minchella, Francesca Magnoni, Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, Isabelle Scholl, Marcel Meyerheim, Mieke Van Hemelrijck, Hannah Gsell, Lucija Gosak, Laura Ciria‐Suarez, Karl Làvo, Norbert M. Graf, Marta Pérez‐Campdepadrós, Marie Lange, Elisabeth Andritsch, Birutė Brasiūnienė, Andreas Charalambous, Nataliia Dovganych, Iva Kirac, Haridimos Kondylakis, Kostyantyn Kovalyov, Cristian Ochoa, Manolis Tsiknakis, Béata Juzyna, Ines Vaz-Luis, van Kerrebroeck, Nicole Erickson, Margarita Tareyn, Norbert Couespel, Clémentine Rialland, Luigi Grassi, Denis Horgan, Saska Benedicic Tomat, Begonya Nafria Escalera, Delia Nicoara, Claudio Lombardo, Gabriella Pravettoni
Institutions: Vilnius University, University of Palermo, Inserm, Maastricht University, UniCancer Group, University of Turku, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Université de Caen Normandie, Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Saarland University, University of Milan, Medical University of Graz, European Institute of Oncology, King's College London, University of Crete, University of Ferrara, Institut Gustave Roussy, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Cyprus University of Technology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, University of Maribor, European Association of Urology, FORTH Institute of Computer Science, Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona, European CanCer Organisation, Sisters of Charity Hospital, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, National Scientific Center "M.D. Strazhesko Institute of Cardiology", European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, The Patients Association, Centre François Baclesse, Institute of Oncology Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta, National Cancer Institute, United Charitable, Fondation Gustave Roussy, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Organisation of European Cancer Institutes