JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cancer is one of the two leading causes of death before the age of 70 in more than half of the world's countries and prevents the growth of global life expectancy. Over the years, the incidence rate has increased, mainly due to the development of new diagnostic tools. Empowerment regarding self-care is one factor that can improve the quality of life of people with cancer. Currently, mobile applications, including social media, are the primary tool for literacy regarding the disease, treatment, and its consequences. However, there are no defined criteria regarding the accuracy, safety, and quality of the information provided, requiring verification with the healthcare team to prevent an increased risk of clinical deterioration in users.

Objective:

To map the usage of information technology tools in self-care for people with cancer.

Methods:

This is a scoping review grounded in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, structured using the PCC (Population, Concept, and Context) acronym. The search was conducted across multiple databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and BVS), with screening performed in the Rayyan software by three independent reviewers, resulting in the inclusion and analysis of 41 studies.

Results:

The findings demonstrated that the usage of digital technologies offers significant positive aspects, such as increased adherence to treatment and monitoring, promotion of patient autonomy, real-time optimization of symptom management, strengthened engagement with the healthcare team, and continuous monitoring of toxicities. Conversely, relevant limitations were identified regarding the studies (small and homogeneous samples, lack of sustained adherence due to low usability or lack of digital literacy, and scarce robust evidence on the improvement of clinical outcomes and quality of life) and the tools (interface flaws, connectivity issues, limited personalization, technical instability, and cybersecurity and privacy vulnerabilities).

Conclusions:

Information technology tools represent promising and complementary resources to enhance care and empower oncology patients. However, they require user-centered development, greater digital inclusion, rigorous data security, and future multicenter studies to consolidate their implementation into clinical practice.