JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Patients with head and neck cancer often experience various types and degrees of complications and functional impairment following surgery or radiotherapy. Consequently, these patients require extensive post-discharge rehabilitation, either at home or in the community. Numerous studies have shown the advantages of the mobile Health (mHealth) technology in assisting oncology patients with self-management and rehabilitation during the post-discharge period. However, few reviews have focused on the intervention, management, and evaluation of mHealth technology in post-discharge patients with head and neck cancers.

Objective:

This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of mHealth technology applications and interventions currently available to patients discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment for head and neck cancer. This study sought to identify and summarise the types and effectiveness of existing mHealth interventions as well as the differences in their outcome assessments.

Methods:

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were used to identify studies with no publication time limits. The keywords’ mHealth" and "head and neck cancer" were combined to address the main concepts of the target.

Results:

Of the 1625 papers identified, 13 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most studies (n=8) were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies. These studies were conducted in six countries. The main aims of these mHealth interventions are as follows: (1) symptom monitoring and assessment, (2) rehabilitation training, (3) access to medical health information, (4) telehealth advisers, (5) peer communication and support, and (6) follow-up/review reminders. The outcome evaluations of the 13 included studies were grouped into four categories: (1) technology usability and patient satisfaction; (2) self-symptom management and patient-reported outcome (PROs)-related indicators; (3) adherence; and (4) health-related quality of life.

Conclusions:

A limited number of studies have investigated the use of mobile health technology in the post-discharge self-management of patients with head and neck cancers. The existing literature suggests that mobile health technology can effectively assist head and neck cancer patients in self-management and post-discharge interventions. It plays an important role in addressing patients' health information needs, reducing both their somatic and psychological burdens, and improving their overall quality of life. Future research should prioritise conducting additional high-quality RCTs to evaluate its usability and analyse cost-effectiveness.