Mobile Apps in Oncology: A Survey on Health Care Professionals’ Attitude Toward Telemedicine, mHealth, and Oncological Apps

Kessel, Kerstin A.; Vogel, Marco M. E.; Schmidt‐Graf, Friederike; Combs, Stephanie E.

doi:10.2196/jmir.6399

Cited by 90 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although technologies such as smartphone mHealth apps and other remote monitoring devices have the potential to transform oncology care, 56 they also raise new considerations with regard to patient privacy and confidentiality. Apps may support a patient’s self-report of symptoms or passively record location and other information using global positioning systems, accelerometers, and physiologic sensors.…”

Section: Privacy and Confidentiality Concerns With Social Media And Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media and Mobile Technology for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Prochaska

Coughlin

Lyons

2017

American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

OVERVIEW Given the number of lives affected by cancer and the great potential for optimizing well-being via lifestyle changes, patients, providers, health care systems, advocacy groups, and entrepreneurs are looking to digital solutions to enhance patient care and broaden prevention efforts. Thousands of health-oriented mobile websites and apps have been developed, with a majority focused upon lifestyle behaviors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking). In this review, we consider the use and potential of social media and mHealth technologies for cancer prevention, cancer treatment, and survivorship. We identify key principles in research and practice, summarize prior reviews, and highlight notable case studies and patient resources. Further, with the potential for scaled delivery and broad reach, we consider application of social media and mHealth technologies in low-resource settings. With clear advantages for reach, social media and mHealth technologies offer the ability to scale and engage entire populations at low cost, develop supportive social networks, connect patients and providers, encourage adherence with cancer care, and collect vast quantities of data for advancing cancer research. Development efforts have been rapid and numerous, yet evaluation of intervention effects on behavior change and health outcomes are sorely needed, and regulation around data security issues is notably lacking. Attention to broader audiences is also needed, with targeted development for culturally diverse groups and non-English speakers. Further investment in research to build the evidence base and identify best practices will help delineate and actualize the potential of social media and mHealth technologies for cancer prevention and treatment.

show abstract

Section: Privacy and Confidentiality Concerns With Social Media And Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media and Mobile Technology for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Prochaska

Coughlin

Lyons

2017

American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A recent survey of 108 HCPs could show a great acceptance (84.3%) of app-assisted treatment [12]. The digital medicine is unstoppable and patient empowerment plays a new and growing role in disease management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Health in Oncology: A Patient Survey About App-Assisted Cancer Care

Kessel

Vogel

Kessel

et al. 2017

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

117

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundIn the last decade, the health care sector has been enriched by numerous innovations such as apps and connected devices that assist users in weight reduction and diabetes management. However, only a few native apps in the oncological context exist, which support patients during treatment and aftercare.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze patients’ acceptance regarding app use and to investigate the functions of an oncological app that are most required, and the primary reasons for patients to refuse app-assisted cancer care.MethodsWe designed and conducted a survey with 23 questions, inquiring patients about their technical knowledge and equipment, as well as the possible advantages and disadvantages, data transfer, and general functionality of an app.ResultsA total of 375 patients participated; the participation rate was 60.7% (375/618). Gender distribution was about 3:4 (female:male) with a median age of 59 years (range 18-92 years). Whereas 69.6% (261/375) of patients used mobile devices, 16.3% (61/375) did not own one, and 9.1% (34/375) only used a personal computer (PC). About half of the patients rated their usability skills as very good and good (18.9% 71/375; 35.2% 132/375), 23.5% (88/375) described their skills as intermediate, and 14.4% (54/375) as bad. Of all patients, 182 (48.5%, 182/375) were willing to send data to their treating clinic via an app, that is, to a server (61.0% 111/182) or as email (33.5%, 61/182). About two-thirds (68.7%, 125/182) believed that additional and regularly sent data would be an ideal complement to the standard follow-up procedure. Additionally, 86.8% (158/182) wished to be contacted by a physician when entered data showed irregularities. Because of lack of skills (34.4%, 56/163), concerns about the use of data (35.0%, 57/163), lack of capable devices (25.8%, 42/163), and the wish for personal contact with the treating physician (47.2%, 77/163), a total of 163 (43.5%, 163/375) patients refused to use an app. Pearson correlation showed a significant but mild relationship between age and app use (P=.03, r=−.12), favoring younger age; male gender correlated as well (P=.04; r=−.11).ConclusionsThe results show that the introduction of mobile apps needs to follow different strategies depending on the patients’ attitude. Age and gender seem to be the strongest predictive factors. For oncology patients, our survey showed that about half of the patients were willing to send data via an app supporting their treatment. In the future, clinical data such as quality of life and treatment satisfaction recorded by mobile health (mHealth) devices could be used to evaluate and improve therapy workflow. Furthermore, apps could support classical visits, document adverse effects, and remind patients of treatment dates or drug intake.

show abstract

“…Obtaining information about a disease or its treatment would interest 50% of our patients (which is more than the 28.1% reported by Soler et al [17]); but, however, less than 20% used apps for this purpose. Moreover, remote monitoring by health professionals is currently one of the least used functions, although it has the greatest potential for use [18][19][20][21] as one in three patients would like to have an app with this feature. Providing a new means of communication through ICTs could offer patients the opportunity to get involved in their disease and assume more responsibility with regards to monitoring their health, thus promoting patient empowerment [5,6,9,22,23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is why an easy to use app would prove to be a complete tool for this type of patient. To date, existing apps for cancer patients concentrate solely on isolated problems -they do not cover all the needs associated with hematology-oncology patients [3,[19][20][21][22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oncology Patient Interest in the Use of New Technologies to Manage Their Disease: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

Collado-Borrell¹,

Escudero‐Vilaplana²,

Calles³

et al. 2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in oncology can revolutionize the medical care of cancer patients. ICTs can promote patient's empowerment and real-time disease monitoring. There is limited information about the impact of ICTs in cancer patients of ICTs in this patient group or indeed their level of interest in using these tools for greater management of their condition.Objective: We aimed to understand the ICT usage profile in hematology-oncology patients, to identify their needs, and to determine their level of interest in these technologies as a means of managing their disease. Methods:A 28-item questionnaire was drawn up by a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists and oncologists. The questions were organized into three blocks. A: socio-demographic characteristics; B: use of ICTs when searching for health-related information; and C: usage preferences for health apps. Hematology-oncology patients receiving treatment between May and July 2017 were included. A paper copy of the questionnaire was handed to patients in the Day Hospital or the Pharmaceutical Care Consultancy in Pharmacy Services.Results: A total of 650 questionnaires were handed out, with a participation of 94% (611/650).Patient socio-demographic characteristics: Mean age was 57.8 years-old . Of participants, 61.9% (378/611) were women, 40.7% (249/611) had a university education, and 45.1% (276/611) of patients reported their overall state of health to be good. Use of ICTs when searching for health-related information:87.1% (532/611) of subjects were interested in being informed about health-related matters. Of all subjects, 75.5% (532/611) sought information from health professionals and 61.3% (375/611) on the Internet. Of these, 71.2% (436/611) searched through Google and 21.9% (134/611) by means of social networks. Before going to their doctor's appointment, 21.8% (133/611) of patients looked up information about their disease and/or treatment on the Internet. This access to the internet rose to 51% after their first medical appointment with their oncologist, up to 50.9% (311/611) of participants referred to the Internet.Usage preferences for health apps: 82.7% (505/611) had a smartphone, while 20.3% (124/611) had a health app installed. Some 81.5% (498/611) would use an app if their health professional recommended it to them, but 39.6% (242/611) were not willed to pay for it. Conclusions:The hematology-oncology patients showed a great deal of interest in searching for healthrelated information by means of ICTs, especially using smartphones and apps. The issues that drew the most interest in terms of apps were appointment management, advice on disease management, and communication with health professionals. Free access to these features and the recommendation by a health professional are important factors when it comes to their use. Therefore, the health care provider is a key element in the recommendation of ICTs, providing their knowledge and experience concerning their correct usage.

show abstract

Mobile Apps in Oncology: A Survey on Health Care Professionals’ Attitude Toward Telemedicine, mHealth, and Oncological Apps

Cited by 90 publications

References 23 publications

Social Media and Mobile Technology for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Social Media and Mobile Technology for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Mobile Health in Oncology: A Patient Survey About App-Assisted Cancer Care

Oncology Patient Interest in the Use of New Technologies to Manage Their Disease: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About