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An e‐health strategy to facilitate care of breast cancer survivors: A pilot study
Author(s) -
Tiong Siaw Sze,
Koh EngSiew,
Delaney Geoffrey,
Lau Annie,
Adams Diana,
Bell Vicki,
Sapkota Pharmila,
Harris Therese,
Girgis Afaf,
Przezdziecki Astrid,
Lonergan Denise,
Coiera Enrico
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1743-7563
pISSN - 1743-7555
DOI - 10.1111/ajco.12475
Subject(s) - survivorship curve , breast cancer , medicine , health care , health informatics , population , family medicine , informatics , gerontology , cancer , nursing , public health , environmental health , engineering , electrical engineering , economics , economic growth
Aim Innovative e‐health strategies are emerging, to tailor and provide convenient, systematic and high‐quality survivorship care for an expanding cancer survivor population. This pilot study tests the application of an e‐health platform, “Healthy.me,” in a breast cancer survivor cohort at Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, New South Wales, Australia. Methods Fifty breast cancer patients were recruited to use the Healthy.me website, designed by the Centre of Health Informatics at the University of New South Wales, over a 4‐month period. Telephone and online questionnaires were used at 1 and 4 months and a face‐to‐face feedback at study completion, to gather qualitative and quantitative data regarding feasibility of Healthy.me. Results Healthy.me was reported to be a useful online resource by most users. Usage declined from 76% at 1 month to 48% at 4 months. Breast cancer survivors enjoyed a variety of tailored information regarding health and life‐style issues. Positive aspects of Healthy.me were the convenient access to trusted information, and interaction with their peers and healthcare professionals. Barriers to usage contributing to usage decline were lack of reported patient time to re‐access information, limited content updates and technical factors. Conclusions This pilot study suggested the potential of an e‐health strategy such as Healthy.me in addressing the needs of a growing breast cancer survivor population. Ongoing development of a more robust e‐health resource and integration with primary care models is warranted.