The Potential for mHealth Interventions to Support Women with Breast Cancer after Active Treatment

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. Chances of living one-year after diagnosis are high (~98%), and health self-management is essential to reduce risks of recurrence. Mobile health (mHealth) has emerged as a wide-reaching and cost-effective way of providing health information and support. Therefore, we conducted a narrative review of the currently available mHealth literature and synthesised the literature according to the impacts of mHealth interventions on patient outcomes, the potential mechanism for behaviour change and innovative approaches to developing future mHealth interventions. Results found a small amount of evidence for the value of mHealth interventions (text message programs, smartphone applications and activity trackers) for supporting women after breast cancer treatment. However, accessibility, cost and gender inequities may pose barriers to implementation. Developing consumer-led mHealth interventions based on lived-experiences will be essential to improving user outcomes. In conclusion, mHealth interventions are widely available and have the potential to support women after breast cancer treatment and further robust research will determine effectiveness in specific subgroups and populations.

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Details of Lymphedema, Upper Limb Morbidity, and Self Management in Women after Breast Cancer Treatment

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing ◽

10.4069/kjwhn.2011.17.5.474 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 474 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chae Weon Chung ◽

Eun Kyung Hwang ◽

Shin Woo Hwang

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Upper Limb ◽

Breast Cancer Treatment ◽

Self Management

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Codesigning and pilot testing a lifestyle-focused text message intervention for women after breast cancer treatment: A mixed-methods study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.27076 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Singleton ◽

Rebecca Raeside ◽

Stephanie R Partridge ◽

Molly Hayes ◽

Katherine Maka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Text Message ◽

Breast Cancer Treatment ◽

Text Messages ◽

Cancer Information ◽

Free Text ◽

Pilot Testing

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Recovery from breast cancer treatment can be mentally and physically challenging. Text message programs offer a novel way to provide health information and support but few programs are co-designed with consumer representatives. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to co-design and pilot test a lifestyle-focused text message program to support women’s mental and physical health after treatment. METHODS Iterative mixed-methods three-step process: 1) co-design workshop with consumers, health professionals/researchers with drafting text messages; 2) consumer and health professionals/researchers evaluation plus readability (Flesch-Kincaid score) and 3) pilot testing of message delivery software. For the consumer and health professional review, content was scored (5-point Likert scale) for ease-of-understanding, usefulness and appropriateness and additional free-text responses and semi-structured interviews were conducted RESULTS In Step 1, co-designed text messages (n=189) were semi-personalised and main content themes were: i) physical activity and healthy eating, ii) medications and side effects, iii) mental health and iv) general breast cancer information. In Step 2, consumers (n=14) and health professionals/researchers (n=14) provided 870 reviews of 189 messages and found most messages easy-to-understand (92%), useful (86%) and appropriate (84%) and most (156/189; 83%). However, consumers rated 50 messages differently to health professionals/researchers. Based on evaluations/feedback, 71 messages deleted, 69 edited and 12 new messages were created related to fatigue, self-care and cognition. The final 130 text messages had a mean (SD) Flesch-Kincaid 7.12 (2.8) grade level and 68.9 (15.5) ease-of-reading score representing “standard” reading ease. In Step 3, participants successfully received 16 text messages with no technical issues. CONCLUSIONS Co-designing and evaluating a bank of evidence-based lifestyle-focused text messages with breast cancer survivors, health professionals and researchers was feasible. Consumer evaluations differed from health professionals/researchers and significantly improved the message quality. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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