Young-Afat Danny A, van Gils Carla H, Bruinvels David J, van der Pol Carmen C, Witkamp Arjen J, Sijtsema Sieta, Jonasse Yvette, Bijlsma Rhodé M, Ausems Margreet G, Bos Annelies M, van den Bongard Desirée H, Verkooijen Helena M
University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Px HealthCare, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
JMIR Cancer. 2016 Jun 7;2(1):e8. doi: 10.2196/cancer.5334.
Health apps are increasingly being used in clinical care and may hold significant theoretical potential. However, they are often implemented in clinical care before any research has been done to confirm actual benefits for patients, physicians, and researchers.
This study aimed to explore experiences of patients and health care providers with the use of a supportive breast cancer app during the first 6 months following diagnosis, in terms of benefits for clinical practice and research purposes.
Between June 2013 and April 2014, breast cancer patients of all ages were invited shortly after diagnosis to use a supportive breast cancer app, and were followed for 6 months. Patients were asked to use the app at their own convenience. In-depth interviews were conducted regularly with patients and their medical team (ie, physicians and nurses) to evaluate their experiences.
A total of 15 patients aged 30-63 years participated. The medical team consisted of 7 physicians and 3 specialized breast cancer nurses. Out of the 15 patients, 12 (80%) used the app to obtain information on breast cancer and treatment. A total of 11 out of 12 patients (92%) evaluated this information as useful. All 15 patients used the app to record consultations with practitioners, and 14 (93%) found this useful. Symptom registration was used by 8 out of 15 patients (53%), and was found useful by 4 out of these 8 patients (50%). Overall, 14 out of 15 patients (93%) would recommend the app to other patients. The app, in particular the recording function, was rated as useful by 9 out of 10 medical professionals (90%), and they reported that it did not increase consultation time. These 9 professionals would recommend the app to their patients.
This evaluation of a supportive health app shows positive experiences among patients and their medical teams. Based on experiences in this study, patients may need to be actively encouraged to regularly register symptoms within health apps to generate sufficient patient-reported app data for use in clinical practice and scientific research.
健康应用程序在临床护理中的使用日益增加，可能具有巨大的理论潜力。然而，在进行任何研究以确认其对患者、医生和研究人员的实际益处之前，它们往往就已应用于临床护理中。
本研究旨在探讨乳腺癌患者和医疗保健提供者在诊断后的前6个月使用一款支持性乳腺癌应用程序的体验，以及该应用程序在临床实践和研究方面的益处。
在2013年6月至2014年4月期间，所有年龄段的乳腺癌患者在确诊后不久被邀请使用一款支持性乳腺癌应用程序，并对其进行为期6个月的随访。患者可根据自身方便使用该应用程序。定期对患者及其医疗团队（即医生和护士）进行深入访谈，以评估他们的体验。
共有15名年龄在30至63岁之间的患者参与。医疗团队由7名医生和3名专业乳腺癌护士组成。在15名患者中，12名（80%）使用该应用程序获取有关乳腺癌和治疗的信息。12名患者中有11名（92%）认为这些信息有用。所有15名患者都使用该应用程序记录与医生的会诊情况，其中14名（93%）认为这很有用。15名患者中有8名（53%）使用了症状记录功能，其中4名（50%）认为该功能有用。总体而言，15名患者中有14名（93%）会向其他患者推荐该应用程序。该应用程序，尤其是记录功能，被10名医疗专业人员中的9名（90%）评为有用，他们表示该应用程序并未增加会诊时间。这9名专业人员会向他们的患者推荐该应用程序。
对一款支持性健康应用程序的评估显示，患者及其医疗团队有积极的体验。基于本研究的经验，可能需要积极鼓励患者在健康应用程序中定期记录症状，以生成足够的患者报告应用程序数据，供临床实践和科学研究使用。
