Effectiveness of a self-management mobile app on the quality of life of women with breast cancer: a study in a developing country

The Efficacy of the Smartphone App for the Self-Management of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Assessment of Their Quality through the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) in Italy

Smartphone apps for self-management are valuable tools to help manage low back pain (LBP) patients. The purposes of this systematic review were to (a) summarize the available studies on the efficacy of smartphone apps for self-management of LBP and (b) identify free applications available in Italy that offer strategies for LBP self-management and provide a qualitative assessment using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). According to the Prisma Checklist, six bibliographic databases were searched with the keywords 'low back pain', 'mobile application', 'smartphone', and 'telemedicine'. In total, 852 records were screened, and 16 were included in the systematic review. Of the six RCTs included, four reported a statistically significant decrease in pain in favor of the app group, and two RCTs did not. Only in a non-RCT was there an increase in the disability score. In the application research conducted on mobile stores, we identified and rated 25 applications through MARS. The overall scores ranged from 1.93 to 3.92 for the IOS app and 1.73 to 4.25 for the Play Store app. The findings suggest that few apps meet satisfying quality, content, and functionality criteria for LBP self-management.

Managing chronic pain after breast cancer treatments: are web-based interventions the future?

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

Chronic post-treatment pain in breast cancer affects a high proportion of patients. Symptom burden and financial costs are increasingly impacting patients and healthcare systems because of improved treatments and survival rates. Supporting long-term breast cancer symptoms using novel methodology has been examined, yet few have explored the opportunity to utilise these interventions for prevention. This review aims to explore the need for, range of, and effectiveness of such interventions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Three papers describe risk factors for chronic pain, with six recent papers describing the use of interventions for acute pain in the surgical setting. The evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions to improve pain management in this setting is limited but tentatively positive. The results have to take into account the variation between systems and limited testing.

SUMMARY

Multiple types of intervention emerged and appear well accepted by patients. Most assessed short-term impact and did not evaluate for reduction in chronic pain. Such interventions require rigorous effectiveness testing to meet the growing needs of post-treatment pain in breast cancer. A detailed understanding of components of web-based interventions and their individual impact on acute pain and chronic pain is needed within future optimisation trials. Their effectiveness as preventative tools are yet to be decided.

Identifying factors that affect the use of health information technology in the treatment and management of hypertension

BACKGROUND

We conducted this study with the aim of identifying factors that affect the use of health information technology in the treatment and management of hypertension.

METHODS

This paper is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2022. To obtain relevant articles, databases including Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE, and PubMed were searched and the time period was between 2013 and 2022. Based on the review of similar articles, a five-point Likert scale checklist was developed in the second phase. The statistical population of the present study was specialist physicians (N = 40) and patients (N = 384). In order to analyze the data, SPSS Statistics 24 was used. To analyze the data obtained from the checklist, we used summary statistics (mean and standard deviation).

RESULTS

As a result of the review literature process, 50 papers were screened, that based we can distinguish motivational and inhibitory factors affecting the use of health information technology in hypertension management. Indeed, Motivational factors and inhibitory factors can be classified into five groups: organizational, economic, technical, personal, and legal/moral factors. Based on the results of the checklist, the factors that were identified as most influential on motivation and inhibitory patients and specialist physicians' to use of health information technology to manage and treat hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Utilizing technologies for hypertension, its management can be improved by identifying motivating and inhibiting factors. Our approach can improve the acceptability of these technologies, save costs, reduce long-term complications of hypertension, and improve patient quality of life.

Self-care intervention using mobile apps for sexual and reproductive health in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns physical, mental, and social well-being as related to sexual and reproductive systems. Self-care, which is the ability to promote health without the support of a health-care provider, can advance SRH, especially for fragile populations. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions can be used to raise awareness about SRH. We performed a structured literature review and analysis of mHealth-based approaches for delivering self-SRH services and interventions in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). A fuzzy-based framework for assessing those mHealth apps was proposed. We identified 6 out of 737 papers, and 23 (5.7%) out of 400 mHealth apps retrieved from app-stores, describing mHealth use for self SRH with only 10 apps developed in EMR countries, namely Morocco, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, and Jordan. Our fuzzy-based framework proposes guidelines regarding the implementation of self-care interventions to help project leaders promote their adoption in the SRH systems.

Technology-based self-management interventions for women with breast cancer: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Since technology-based interventions can facilitate convenient access to healthcare for women with breast cancer, it is crucial to understand innovative approaches to maintaining the effectiveness of these interventions. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of technology-based self-management interventions for women with breast cancer in six countries. We analyzed the characteristics of these interventions and examined their diverse health outcomes.

METHODS

Six databases were systematically searched to extract research articles using the keywords "breast cancer," "technology," and "self-management." The search was carried out up until June 12, 2023. From the 1,288 studies retrieved from the database search, 10 eligible papers were identified based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two authors independently extracted and compared the data from these articles, resolving any discrepancies through discussion.

RESULTS

Most of the 10 studies utilized web- or mobile-based technology, and one used artificial intelligence-based technology. Among the 12 health-related outcome variables, quality of life and symptom distress were the most frequently mentioned, appearing in six articles. Furthermore, an analysis of the intervention programs revealed a variety of common constructs and the involvement of managers in the self-management intervention.

CONCLUSION

Incorporating key components such as self-management planning, diary keeping, and communication support in technology-based interventions could significantly improve the self-management process for breast cancer survivors. The practical application of technology has the potential to empower women diagnosed with breast cancer and improve their overall quality of life, by providing timely and sustainable interventions, and by leveraging available resources and tools.