Mobile applications for breast cancer survivorship and self-management: A systematic review

Abstract

The use of mobile technology and mobile apps has become pervasive in our daily lives for completing a variety of daily tasks. Mobile health (mHealth) apps can provide an accessible platform for self-management among breast cancer (BC) survivors, as they recover from not just the intensive cancer treatments, but also their associated side-effects. They also offer a means to learn about survivorship topics and connect with peer survivors online, irrespective of their geographical location. This study is an attempt to assess the availability and characterize the self-management features of free mobile apps for breast cancer survivors on the Google Play (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS). Out of 249 such apps for the Android, only eight satisfied initial criteria, while only one of 174 iOS apps that met inclusion criteria was included for further analysis. A content analysis of the nine apps that met inclusion criteria was conducted to assess the inclusion of the following mHealth self-management features derived from the Chronic Care Model: symptom tracking; survivorship education; information-sharing with family and/or caregivers; scheduling follow-up visits; personal alerts and reminders; and social networking. Survivorship education was found to be the most common self-management feature among the apps reviewed, followed by social networking. The results of this study highlight the dearth of available mHealth resources for BC survivors. Future efforts in app development should involve survivors and healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive resources that address their unmet needs are made more accessible.