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Photo: De Redactie
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A study by the University Medical Center Groningen shows that Untire’s mobile app helps to reduce fatigue in cancer. The app focuses on mentally and physically activating users to break the vicious cycle of fatigue.
The UMCG study was conducted among 800 patients and former patients in England, the United States, Australia and Canada, all of whom suffered from severe fatigue.
The Netherlands has more than 900,000 people who have or have had cancer. Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. Eighty percent of all people with cancer are severely fatigued during treatment in the first year after diagnosis. More than thirty percent suffer from this for much longer, sometimes up to more than ten years later. Fatigue has a very negative impact on their quality of life and prevents them from living their daily life the way they want to.
Less tired, better quality of life
Research by the UMCG shows that participants who use the app have significantly less fatigue complaints after 12 weeks and experience a better quality of life. People who use the app regularly make the most progress. ‘Using the app three to nine times already leads to good results’, says UMCG researcher Simon Spahrkäs. ‘This makes an accessible mHealth solution such as Untire an effective treatment option in addition to the existing face-to-face therapy or therapist-led online interventions.’
Helping more patients
The app offers psycho-education, including animations, exercises for increasing physical activity, relaxation exercises, learning to manage energy and daily positive tips. There is also a closed online community for the exchange of experiences.
The Untire app has been designed by psychologists, researchers and patients to help many more tired (ex-) cancer patients than is currently the case.
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