Connecting Caregivers to Community Resources: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Virtual Assistant for Childhood Cancer Survivorship

Purpose Caregivers of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may experience persistent challenges identifying and accessing supportive resources. We evaluated the usability and acceptability of a virtual assistant (VA) designed to connect caregivers with community resources and explored whether social context influenced perceptions of the tool. Methods This mixed-methods cross-sectional study evaluated caregivers of childhood cancer survivors who completed usability testing of a community resource VA, and then the System Usability Scale (SUS), caregiver satisfaction questionnaire, reaction cards and semi-structured interviews. Neighborhood and geographic social context were characterized using the Child Opportunity Index, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), Appalachian residence, and rurality. Quantitative analyses were exploratory, and interviews underwent qualitative content analysis. Results The VA demonstrated above-average usability (mean SUS = 77.09, SD = 18.04); all caregivers (n = 15; 86.7% female, 93.3% White) rated it as easy to use and not overly time-consuming. Common reactions included “accessible,” “connected,” and “useful.” Greater neighborhood deprivation was associated with higher satisfaction across several domains, including perceived ability to identify resources caregivers could not find independently. Appalachian caregivers similarly reported greater perceived benefit for resource identification. Qualitative analyses identified three themes: perceived value was greatest earlier in the cancer trajectory; caregivers prioritized convenient integration into familiar digital platforms; and an intuitive interface reduced burden and supported confident use. Conclusions A caregiver-facing VA for community resource navigation was usable and acceptable. Perceived value varied by social context and timing, suggesting particular utility for families experiencing greater structural barriers. Implications for Cancer Survivors Digital resource-navigation tools may provide scalable support across treatment and survivorship.