Designing for Sustainability

Marquita Lewis, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences, has received R01 funding from the National Institute for Nursing Research for her research project, ”Designing for sustainability: co-designing and testing the efficacy of a web-based toolkit to improve cancer-related emotional distress and anxiety for rural older cancer survivors,” also known as the CONNECT study. This project addresses critical healthcare challenges faced by rural older cancer survivors and their caregivers. This award not only speaks to Lewis’ dedication to improving health equity, but is also a demonstration of her leadership in designing tools that resonate with underserved populations. 

What are the aims of the project?  

The CONNECT study focuses on three key aims: 

1. Refine the CONNECT design 
   Building on an existing prototype, the team will use a co-design approach to enhance CONNECT, incorporating synchronous caregiver communication features based on feedback from earlier usability testing. 
2. Evaluate CONNECT’s efficacy through a randomized controlled trial 
   The study will recruit rural older cancer survivors and their caregivers to assess CONNECT’s ability to reduce cancer-related distress and improve digital literacy. Participants will be randomly assigned to use CONNECT or receive usual care, allowing the team to measure its impact. 
3. Examine factors influencing CONNECT’s future sustainability 
   A unique aspect of this study is its early focus on sustainability. Instead of postponing these considerations, the research proactively identifies factors that contribute to the long-term usability and relevance of digital tools for this population. By planning for future iterations from the outset, the team aims to prevent obsolescence and maximize CONNECT’s enduring impact.  

What are your next steps? 

Our immediate priorities are to:

1. Complete Staff Recruitment
   • Finalize the hiring process to ensure the team has the necessary capacity and expertise.
2. Assemble an Interprofessional Team to accomplish aim 1’s co-design activities
   • Identify and recruit an interprofessional team that includes rural community members for the final development of CONNECT and prepare it for efficacy testing as part of Aim 2.

These steps are critical for advancing the project and ensuring the CONNECT tool is optimized for usability and effectiveness.

What do you hope will come out of this funded research? 

Given that rural older adults are often overlooked in the design of digital tools—despite being both highly engaged in healthcare due to their age but medically underserved due to their geography—I aim to create a tool that amplifies their voices in the development process. My goal is to advance digital health tool usability for this population, addressing their unique needs and challenges. As access to local, high-quality healthcare facilities continues to decline in rural areas, digital tools are poised to become a critical resource for improving rural health disparities. By prioritizing the perspectives and experiences of rural older adults in digital tool design development, I hope to drive meaningful progress in ensuring these tools are both accessible and effective for rural older adults and thus a driver of improving rural health outcomes.  

Read more about the project here.