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The "Cancer Counseling App" from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is one of four projects to reach the final round of a competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research / 250,000 euros in funding for the practical phase

The cancer counseling app of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is receiving follow-up funding of € 250,000 as part of the Germany-wide "Society of Ideas" competition, as announced by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research on August 9, 2023. Having already funded the concept and trial phase over the past two years, the Ministry is now also supporting the 18-month practical phase of the project. Only four of the more than 1,000 projects originally submitted were selected for this funding. The app aims to improve psychosocial support for cancer patients and their relatives.

"We are very pleased about the great recognition of our project. With this grant, we now have the opportunity to complete the first version of the app," says PD Dr. Alexander Wünsch, project manager and research associate at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Around a third of cancer patients need professional psycho-oncological help. However, due to long journeys, physical impairments or the time-consuming nature of cancer treatment, many of those affected are unable to make sufficient use of the counseling services on offer. The cancer counseling app is intended to provide support for patients and relatives regardless of time and place and to supplement the personal counseling services offered by the Freiburg Psychosocial Cancer Counseling Center.

A digital solution for human challenges

In collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research Karlsruhe and Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, important research and development measures have been carried out over the past two years."So far, we have intensively examined the needs of patients, relatives and counselors and incorporated these into the development of a prototype. We have also worked out important ethical, legal and social aspects for our project. The app is intended to provide real advice, important information about the psychosocial situation of cancer and helpful interventions such as relaxation exercises," explains psychologist Natalie Röderer, who initiated the project and is managing it together with Wünsch. In the upcoming practical phase, the first app version is to be developed and its effect examined and optimized.

Caption: Project manager PD Dr. Alexander Wünsch discusses the design and functions of the app prototype with the participants of the test workshop.
Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg