Digital Peer Navigation In Head And Neck Cancer Patients

This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic effects of Digital peer navigation (DPN) on quality of life (QoL), psychological status, social support, medication adherence, and caregiver burden in postoperative head and neck cancer (HNC) patients and their caregivers. A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted from June 2023 to June 2024, enrolling 150 patient-caregiver dyads from a tertiary hospital in Hubei Province. Participants were randomized to DPN (n=75) or usual care (n=75), with DPN interventions delivered via a digital health platform over six months. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2) using standardized instruments: the University of Washington QoL Scale (UW-QOL), Self-Rating Anxiety/Depression Scales (SAS/SDS), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Both groups showed significant improvements in QoL, social support, anxiety, depression, and medication adherence (P<0.05), with more pronounced benefits in the DPN group (P<0.05). Caregiver burden decreased significantly in both groups (P<0.05), but DPN yielded greater reductions (P<0.05). HNC patients’ QoL and adherence exhibited sustained increases from T1 to T2 (P<0.05), while anxiety and depression declined rapidly at T1 before stabilizing (P<0.05). DPN demonstrated dynamic benefits over six months post-surgery, effectively improving QoL, psychosocial outcomes, and reducing caregiver burden. These findings support DPN’s clinical adoption as a scalable, patient-centered intervention for HNC care.