JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer promising opportunities to address health inequities and enhance access to care for individuals with immunocompromising and debilitating conditions. Currently, hundreds of publicly available oncology-focused mHealth apps exist. However, limited research to date has explored the perspectives of oncology providers regarding mHealth app use in clinical care.

Objective:

This study aimed to: (1) characterize mHealth applications oncology providers have recommended or consider potentially beneficial for their patients; (2) assess oncology providers’ attitudes and beliefs toward mHealth; (3) identify perceived facilitators and barriers to mHealth adoption; and (4) examine differences in perspectives between medical and psychosocial providers.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional, nationwide survey titled the “Oncology Provider Experiences National Survey (OPENS): Mobile Health,” examining provider attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to mHealth use in oncology care. A 30-item, internally developed questionnaire, informed by existing literature, was administered via Seattle Children’s Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a secure, web-based platform. The survey was disseminated to provider membership organizations and listservs across the United States. Data collection occurred between June 2024 and November 2024.

Results:

A total of 188 providers completed the survey. The majority self-identified as female (79.8%), White (85.6%), and non-Hispanic/Latino (92.6%). Respondents included 47.9% medical providers, 47.3% psychosocial care providers, and 4.8% administrative staff or research professionals. Nearly all providers (94.7%) reported either recommending or using mHealth applications with their patients, with primary use for patient-provider communication (73.9%). Psychosocial providers were significantly more likely to recommend or use apps for pain management (χ2(1, N = 179) = 25.47, p < .001) and sleep health (χ2(1, N = 179) = 50.54, p < .001). Providers perceived potential benefit across a broad spectrum of patient-centered care functions, including health monitoring and symptom tracking (70.7%) and mental health (81.4%). Medical providers were significantly more likely to perceive benefit for medication management apps (χ2(1, N = 179) = 10.93, p < .001), whereas psychosocial providers were significantly more likely to perceive benefit for sleep health apps (χ2(1, N = 179) = 6.40, p = .011). Providers, on average, reported a growth mindset and confidence in their ability to learn mHealth tools, and its potential to improve care access. Key facilitators for adoption included alignment with patient needs, increased accessibility, and cost effectiveness, while notable barriers included disparities in technology access, digital health literacy challenges, and concerns about data security and privacy.

Conclusions:

Our study underscores the opportunity to develop inclusive mHealth solutions tailored to the diverse needs of cancer patients and survivors. Engaging both medical and psychosocial oncology providers—who perceive value in the clinical integration of novel mHealth apps—will be essential in guiding the development and implementation of future digital health innovations in oncology care.