A Delphi-based approach to developing the contents of an online resource, Care Assist, for male caregivers of women with breast cancer

Abstract

Objective: Informal male caregivers of women with breast cancer (BC) have significant psychological, emotional, and social burdens that are inadequately addressed by current face-to-face interventions. Online interventions overcome barriers that limit engagement with face-to-face interventions. This study aimed to develop the contents of Care Assist, an online supportive care resource for male caregivers of BC patients, through expert consensus.

Methods: A Delphi study comprising two survey rounds and an expert consultation was conducted. In Round 1, experts in BC care rated the importance of 25 content items. In Round 2, they re-rated content items that failed to reach consensus (i.e. 80% agreement) in Round 1 or were newly developed. Free-text responses were also collected. During expert consultation, the resource was reviewed and revised for clarity. Iterative refinement followed all rounds. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively, and qualitative data was analysed using content analysis.

Results: Twenty-two experts participated and reached consensus on 96% of items, with 217 comments provided on: (a) the perceived benefits of Care Assist to caregivers and care recipients, (b) recommendations of newly suggested content items, wording, and use of external links, and (c) concerns regarding information overload and need for tailoring. The expert consultation comments focused on clarifying scope, wording, and information tailoring.

Conclusion: The rigorous Delphi process resulted in the content for a comprehensive online supportive care intervention for male caregivers. Information overload can be minimised through self-identification of needs and utilisation of eHealth to personalise the resource for the heterogeneous male caregiver population.

Keywords: breast cancer; eHealth; male caregivers; online resource; psycho-oncology; supportive care.