Co-Designing the iCanBlend Model: A Blended Psychological Therapy Intervention for Treating Anxiety and Depression in the Context of Cancer.
5 affiliations
- 1Psycho-Oncology Co-Operative Research Group (PoCoG), School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
- 2Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-Based Decision-Making (CeMPED), School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
- 3Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
- 4Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
- 5College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Flinders University Institute of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, Australia.
Abstract
Background
Treatment uptake for depression and anxiety in psycho-oncology is low. Blended psychological therapy (BT), which combines self-guided digital content with clinician-delivered sessions, may improve treatment access and engagement. In Australia, no BT program exists in routine cancer care.Objective
To co-design a BT intervention clinically appropriate for anxiety/depression treatment in cancer patients and investigate its potential acceptability and feasibility for implementation in psycho-oncology in Australia.Method
Qualitative, co-design focus groups were conducted via videoconference with psycho-oncology psychologists in two stages: co-design of a cancer-specific BT model prototype (stage I) and confirmation of prototype content and structure acceptability (stage II). Participants provided iterative feedback on cancer-specific CBT elements to include in the BT intervention. Data were analyzed using an Interpretive Description approach.Results
Fourteen clinicians participated across five co-design workshops. In stage I, identified themes were: (i) importance of the intake interview and orientation to the program; (ii) the prominent role of face-to-face contact in the BT model; and (iii) suitability of content for digital delivery. Stage II themes were: (i) feasibility of BT in psycho-oncology; and (ii) perceived importance of face-to-face for improved content delivery. The resulting BT intervention model ("iCanBlend") had a higher dose of face-to-face over digital sessions to promote treatment engagement and enhance duty-of-care online.Conclusion
Overall, iCanBlend was acceptable and clinically appropriate for the cancer context in Australia, although feasibility was not confirmed, given participants' preference for face-to-face support for digital content. Future research is required with clinicians and patients to determine usability.
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BibTeX
@article{nuneszlotkowski2026codesigning,
title = {{Co-Designing the iCanBlend Model: A Blended Psychological Therapy Intervention for Treating Anxiety and Depression in the Context of Cancer.}},
author = {Kelly Ferrao Nunes-Zlotkowski and Heather Shepherd and Lisa Beatty and Phyllis Butow and Joanne Shaw},
journal = {Psycho-oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/pon.70629},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904835},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Co-Designing the iCanBlend Model: A Blended Psychological Therapy Intervention for Treating Anxiety and Depression in the Context of Cancer.
AU - Kelly Ferrao Nunes-Zlotkowski
AU - Heather Shepherd
AU - Lisa Beatty
AU - Phyllis Butow
AU - Joanne Shaw
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Psycho-oncology
DO - 10.1002/pon.70629
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904835
AB - Background Treatment uptake for depression and anxiety in psycho-oncology is low. Blended psychological therapy (BT), which combines self-guided digital content with clinician-delivered sessions, may improve treatment access and engagement. In Australia, no BT program exists in routine cancer care.Objective To co-design a BT intervention clinically appropriate for anxiety/depression treatment in cancer patients and investigate its potential acceptability and feasibility for implementation in psycho-oncology in Australia.Method Qualitative, co-design focus groups were conducted via videoconference with psycho-oncology psychologists in two stages: co-design of a cancer-specific BT model prototype (stage I) and confirmation of prototype content and structure acceptability (stage II). Participants provided iterative feedback on cancer-specific CBT elements to include in the BT intervention. Data were analyzed using an Interpretive Description approach.Results Fourteen clinicians participated across five co-design workshops. In stage I, identified themes were: (i) importance of the intake interview and orientation to the program; (ii) the prominent role of face-to-face contact in the BT model; and (iii) suitability of content for digital delivery. Stage II themes were: (i) feasibility of BT in psycho-oncology; and (ii) perceived importance of face-to-face for improved content delivery. The resulting BT intervention model ("iCanBlend") had a higher dose of face-to-face over digital sessions to promote treatment engagement and enhance duty-of-care online.Conclusion Overall, iCanBlend was acceptable and clinically appropriate for the cancer context in Australia, although feasibility was not confirmed, given participants' preference for face-to-face support for digital content. Future research is required with clinicians and patients to determine usability.
SN - 1057-9249
SN - 1099-1611
ER -