Smartphone App Provides Postoperative Breast Cancer Support from Specialist Nurses 

Specialist nurses can provide meaningful information support to patients with breast cancer via a smartphone app, which can have the benefit of improving treatment adherence, according to a study recently published in Seminars in Oncology Nursing. 

A group of researchers based in China retrospectively reviewed data from patients with breast cancer who used a smartphone-based app that was launched in 2017. A total of 2675 patients were included, with 560 patients submitting questions via the app. 

Two specialist nurses reviewed the questions submitted to the app, classifying them into 3 categories: 

• Treatment schedule and procedure,
• Question during adjuvant treatment, and 
• Follow-up and rehabilitation.

The nurses then further classified the questions, based on the timing of the submission, ie, before initiation of treatment, during adjuvant chemotherapy, etc. 

Of the 560 patients, 441 (78.8%) submitted questions about the treatment schedule and procedure; 369 (65.9%) and 110 (19.6%) submitted questions during adjuvant treatment and follow-up/rehabilitation, respectively. 

Overall, the patients most likely to seek information via the smartphone app were patients with higher education levels, more advanced disease, and postmenopausal status. Raising questions was also more closely associated with treatment compliance. 

Regarding the specific category of questions, the researchers noted more favorable clinical outcomes occurred among patients who had questions about the treatment schedule and procedure. However, having questions during adjuvant treatment was associated with poorer survival. Regarding the time period during which questions were raised, the researchers noted that patients with questions during the follow-up period had worse clinical outcomes. 

Median follow-up was 44 months, but no difference in survival was noted between those patients who raised questions via the app and those who did not use the app. 

The researchers acknowledged that some limitations may apply. For example, there may be some inevitable selection bias, despite the use of multivariate analysis in an attempt to narrow the confounding effect. Additionally, the researchers suggested the follow-up period was too short and they would like to see long-term outcomes. 

The most common questions patients with breast cancer raised in the postoperative period were regarding treatment schedules and procedures. The app also helped specialist nurses understand patients’ needs.

“Seeking information support from specialist nurses was associated with better treatment adherence. The smartphone-based app enables specialist nurses to provide more conducive service for patients, and validation of this finding is warranted in further studies,” the researchers wrote in conclusion.

Reference
Dong X, Yu J, Nie L, et al. Information support provided by specialized nurses via mobile healthcare app may improve treatment adherence of breast cancer patients: an observational study. Semin Oncol Nurs. Published online October 23, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151511