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      Mobilizing Breast Cancer Prevention Research Through Smartphone Apps: A Systematic Review of the Literature

      systematic-review

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          Abstract

          Background: Breast cancer rates have been increasing worldwide, particularly among young women, suggesting important interactions between genes and health behaviors. At the same time, mobile technology, including smartphones applications (apps), has emerged as a new tool for delivering healthcare and health-related services. As of 2018, there were nearly 600 publicly available breast cancer apps designed to provide disease and treatment information, to manage disease, and to raise overall awareness. However, the extent to which apps are incorporated into breast cancer prevention research is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this review was to determine how mobile applications are being used for breast cancer prevention among women across the cancer control continuum.

          Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched PubMed and Web of Science Core Collection databases using the keywords breast cancer, smartphone, mobile application, and phone app. Full-length journal articles available in English that addressed the research question were included. We categorized articles by prevention type (primary, secondary, and tertiary) and phase of research (protocol, development, feasibility, pilot, measurement, and effectiveness), and identified common themes and gaps.

          Results: Our search yielded 82 studies (69 unique) that used apps in breast cancer prevention research across 20 countries. Approximately half of the named apps were publicly available. The majority (73%) of studies targeted tertiary prevention; 15% targeted secondary and 13% targeted primary prevention. Apps were used across all phases of research with the predominant phase being feasibility in tertiary prevention (34%), effectiveness in secondary prevention (63%), and development (30%) and effectiveness (30%) in primary prevention. Common uses included assessing outcomes relevant to clinical care coordination, quality of life, increasing self-efficacy and screening behaviors, and tracking and managing health behaviors.

          Conclusions: We identified the following gaps: few effectiveness studies in tertiary prevention, minimal use of apps for breast cancer etiology or early detection, and few interventions in those at average risk of breast cancer. These findings suggest that while mobile apps can inform breast cancer prevention across the continuum, more work is needed to incorporate apps into primary prevention.

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          Most cited references74

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          The Distinctive Features of a Feasibility Study: Objectives and Guiding Questions.

          In this article, we highlight the distinctive features of a feasibility study, identify the main objectives and guiding questions of a feasibility study, and illustrate the use of these objectives. We synthesized the research methods literature related to feasibility studies to identify five overarching objectives of feasibility studies that focus on social and behavioral interventions. Feasibility studies are designed to answer the overarching question: Can it work? The main objectives of feasibility include the assessment of recruitment capability and resulting sample characteristics, data collection procedures and outcome measures, acceptability of the intervention and study procedures, resources and ability to manage and implement the study and intervention, and preliminary evaluation of participant responses to the intervention. For each objective, we identified follow-up questions designed to assist the researchers to understand barriers to the ultimate success of the research.
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            Effects of exercise intervention in breast cancer patients: is mobile health (mHealth) with pedometer more effective than conventional program using brochure?

            To investigate and compare the effects of mobile health (mHealth) and pedometer with conventional exercise program using a brochure on physical function and quality of life (QOL).
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              Daily Collection of Self-Reporting Sleep Disturbance Data via a Smartphone App in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: A Feasibility Study

              Background Improvements in mobile telecommunication technologies have enabled clinicians to collect patient-reported outcome (PRO) data more frequently, but there is as yet limited evidence regarding the frequency with which PRO data can be collected via smartphone applications (apps) in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Objective The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of an app for sleep disturbance-related data collection from breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. A secondary objective was to identify the variables associated with better compliance in order to identify the optimal subgroups to include in future studies of smartphone-based interventions. Methods Between March 2013 and July 2013, patients who planned to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer at Asan Medical Center who had access to a smartphone app were enrolled just before the start of their chemotherapy and asked to self-report their sleep patterns, anxiety severity, and mood status via a smartphone app on a daily basis during the 90-day study period. Push notifications were sent to participants daily at 9 am and 7 pm. Data regarding the patients’ demographics, interval from enrollment to first self-report, baseline Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) score, and health-related quality of life score (as assessed using the EuroQol Five Dimensional [EQ5D-3L] questionnaire) were collected to ascertain the factors associated with compliance with the self-reporting process. Results A total of 30 participants (mean age 45 years, SD 6; range 35-65 years) were analyzed in this study. In total, 2700 daily push notifications were sent to these 30 participants over the 90-day study period via their smartphones, resulting in the collection of 1215 self-reporting sleep-disturbance data items (overall compliance rate=45.0%, 1215/2700). The median value of individual patient-level reporting rates was 41.1% (range 6.7-95.6%). The longitudinal day-level compliance curve fell to 50.0% at day 34 and reached a nadir of 13.3% at day 90. The cumulative longitudinal compliance curve exhibited a steady decrease by about 50% at day 70 and continued to fall to 45% on day 90. Women without any form of employment exhibited the higher compliance rate. There was no association between any of the other patient characteristics (ie, demographics, and BDI and EQ5D-3L scores) and compliance. The mean individual patient-level reporting rate was higher for the subgroup with a 1-day lag time, defined as starting to self-report on the day immediately after enrollment, than for those with a lag of 2 or more days (51.6%, SD 24.0 and 29.6%, SD 25.3, respectively; P=.03). Conclusions The 90-day longitudinal collection of daily self-reporting sleep-disturbance data via a smartphone app was found to be feasible. Further research should focus on how to sustain compliance with this self-reporting for a longer time and select subpopulations with higher rates of compliance for mobile health care.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Public Health
                Front Public Health
                Front. Public Health
                Frontiers in Public Health
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                2296-2565
                06 November 2019
                2019
                : 7
                : 298
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center , New York, NY, United States
                [2] 2Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center , New York, NY, United States
                Author notes

                Edited by: Rabih Shakib Talhouk, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

                Reviewed by: Harm Van Marwijk, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, United Kingdom; Nuno Ribeiro, University of Porto, Portugal

                *Correspondence: Lauren C. Houghton lh2746@ 123456cumc.columbia.edu

                This article was submitted to Family Medicine and Primary Care, a section of the journal Frontiers in Public Health

                Article
                10.3389/fpubh.2019.00298
                6851054
                31781525
                12030c43-a362-4b60-aa67-e76d97fa234d
                Copyright © 2019 Houghton, Howland and McDonald.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 04 April 2019
                : 02 October 2019
                Page count
                Figures: 5, Tables: 3, Equations: 0, References: 95, Pages: 15, Words: 10342
                Funding
                Funded by: National Cancer Institute 10.13039/100000054
                Categories
                Public Health
                Systematic Review

                breast cancer,cancer control continuum,mobile application,smartphone,prevention,systematic review

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