JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cancer is increasingly being treated as a chronic disease rather than an acute one-time illness. Additionally, oral anti-cancer therapies, as opposed to intravenous chemotherapy, are now available for an increasing number of cancer indications. mHealth apps for use on mobile devices (such as smartphones or tablets) are designed to help patients with medication adherence, symptom tracking and disease management. Several previous literature reviews have been conducted regarding mHealth apps for cancer. However, these studies did not address patient preferences for the features of cancer mHealth apps.

Objective:

The primary objective of this study was to review the scientific literature that describes the features and functions of mHealth apps designed for cancer self-management.

Methods:

As the purpose of this study was to explore the depth and breadth of research on mHealth app features for cancer self-management, a scoping review methodology was adopted for this study. Four databases were used for this review: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Citation and reference searches were conducted for manuscripts meeting the inclusion criteria. A gray literature search was also conducted. Data extracted from manuscripts included: author; title, publication date; study type; sampling type; cancer type; treatment; age of participants; features; availability (free or subscription); design input; and patient preferences. Finally, the features listed for each app were compared, highlighting similarities across platforms as well as features unique to each app.

Results:

After the removal of duplicates 522 manuscripts remained for title and abstract review, with 51 undergoing full-text review. Seven manuscripts (referred to as studies hereafter) were included in the final scoping review. App features described in each study varied from two to eleven, with a median of four features per app. The most reported feature was a symptom/side-effect tracker which was reported in six studies. Two apps specified the inclusion of patients and health care providers during the design while one app noted information technology and communications experts provided design input. Utility of the apps for end users was measured in several ways including: acceptability (measuring the end-users experience), usability (assessing the functionality and performance by observing real users completing tasks), or qualitative data (reports from end users collected from interviews or focus groups).

Conclusions:

This study explored the literature on cancer mobile health applications. Popular features within these mHealth apps include symptom trackers, cancer education, and medication trackers. However, these apps and features are often developed with little input from patients. Additionally, there is little information regarding patient preferences for the features of existing apps. While the number of cancer-related apps available for download continues to rise, further exploration of patient preferences for app features could result in apps that better meet patient disease self-management needs. Clinical Trial: n/a