SCIENTIFIC SESSION

Women with breast cancer experience a high prevalence of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression throughout their cancer journey and during the survival phase, many of whom do not receive specialist psychological care. Digital interventions have been proposed as an accessible and scalable alternative to address these unmet needs. In this context, SerenApp is a mobile app currently being developed to provide psychological support to women undergoing follow-up care or who are breast cancer survivors. The project is led by the team at Costa del Sol University Hospital and involves researchers from two other groups within the RICAPPS Network (the Canarias Group and the SAMSERAP Group).

The aim of this study is to present the preliminary results of the co-creation process for SerenApp. A participatory qualitative design was carried out, based on co-creation workshops involving women with breast cancer and healthcare professionals (in psycho-oncology, oncology and primary care). Through structured activities, the study explored priority psychological needs, barriers to accessing emotional support, preferences regarding the use of mobile apps, and desirable content for a digital intervention.
The preliminary results indicate a high level of acceptance of the digital approach and highlight the importance of addressing emotional regulation, managing fear of relapse, anxiety and stress, as well as normalising emotional experiences. The participants highlighted the importance of an intuitive and flexible app, using accessible language, with brief content tailored to their current life stage, as well as the inclusion of practical exercises and psychoeducational resources. The professionals emphasised the value of SerenApp as a tool to complement standard clinical care.

In conclusion, the co-creation process is enabling the design of SerenApp to be aligned with the actual needs of users and professionals, thereby strengthening its feasibility, acceptability and potential clinical impact. These results form the basis for the pilot phase and the subsequent evaluation of the intervention’s effectiveness.