Multimedia caregiver education to help families complete childhood cancer treatment
Official title: Multimedia caregiver education program to improve outcomes for children with cancer in low-resource settings
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11412271 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program uses videos and mobile tools to teach caregivers how to support young children with cancer so families are more likely to finish treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $60,696 |
| NIH project number | 3R33CA284299-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11412271 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are caregivers of young children (roughly 0–11 years old) newly diagnosed with cancer who are receiving care at partner hospitals in Tanzania, such as Bugando Medical Centre.
✕Less likely to help
Patients outside low-resource settings, adult cancer patients, or families without access to a phone/tablet or a caregiver able to use the materials may not receive benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If my child is treated for cancer at a partner hospital, this program would give me short videos, phone messages, and simple materials in local languages that explain treatment steps, side-effect care, and how to get help. The team adapts content for low literacy, delivers it through phones, tablets, and clinic sessions, and trains local staff to share the materials. They will follow families at Bugando Medical Centre and other partner sites to see whether caregivers attend appointments, keep up with treatment, and feel more confident caring for their child. The focus is on low-cost, easy-to-use digital education to reduce treatment abandonment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more children complete cancer treatment and improve survival by giving caregivers clearer, easier-to-use guidance and support.
How similar studies have gone: Previous non-digital supports at Bugando (housing, navigation, free chemotherapy) reduced abandonment from 40% to 23%, and caregiver education is effective in high-income settings, but multimedia caregiver education in low-resource pediatric oncology is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schroeder, Kristin — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Schroeder, Kristin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Caregiver-led mobile tool to support healthy habits for kids treated for ALL
A caregiver-directed mobile program helps children who were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia build healthier daily routines.
-
Biomechanical check of a caregiver transfer technique tool
This grant tests a quick, objective way to measure how well informal caregivers transfer a person, with the goal of reducing caregiver and care recipient injuries.
-
Negotiation training to help Alzheimer’s caregivers communicate with care teams
A program called NegotiAge helps families caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease learn better negotiation skills to talk with doctors, insurers, and other caregivers.
-
Improving prosthetic fitting in rural areas with remote limb scanning
A study tests whether a helper can remotely capture limb shape with affordable digital tools to create a well-fitting prosthetic socket, reducing travel for rural Veterans.
-
Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa for Young Children
A Duke University-led project in South Africa aims to help young children with autism by training caregivers to deliver proven coaching strategies through non-specialist providers.
-
Harnessing caregiver coaching in early intervention to help young children with developmental delays
This grant tests whether coaching caregivers can help children under 3 with developmental delays get high-quality, frequent early intervention in their home environment.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.