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Appl Clin Inform 2022; 13(05): 935-948
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1757295
Research Article

Development of a Mobile-Based Self-care Application for Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema in Iran

Maryam Ahmadi
1   Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
,
Seyedeh Nafiseh Shahrokhi
1   Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
,
Morteza Khavaninzadeh
2   Department of General Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
,
Jahanpour Alipour
3   Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
4   Department of Health Information Technology, School of Paramedical, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Background Due to the chronic, progressive, and debilitating nature of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), it is necessary to observe and maintain self-care management accordingly. This study was conducted to develop a mobile application based on the Android operating system for self-care management of Iranian patients with BCRL.

Methods An applied developmental study was conducted in 2020. The users' information needs assessment as well as design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the mobile app for self-care management of patients with BCRL was done by searching the literature, reviewing the existing mobile applications, and surveying the users' needs. The mobile app was designed using the Android Studio environment and Java programming language in the Android operating system. The usability of the app was evaluated by 30 patients with BCRL using the questionnaire for user interface satisfaction-seventh version (QUIS 7).

Results The mobile app for BCRL included demographic information, clinical information, lifestyle and system functions (drug use, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, communication, and test time reminder). User usability evaluation of the app content and functions confirmed that it was appropriate and satisfactory for the self-management of women with BCRL.

Conclusion The mobile app was appropriate in terms of the content, function, and quality for improving the patients' lifestyle and education and self-management of BCRL symptoms according to its usability evaluation from the end-users' (patients) perspective. It is suggested that studies should be performed to confirm the effectiveness and identify the clinical significance of the app.

Keywords

breast cancer-related lymphedema - self-care - mobile applications - breast cancer - smartphone

Protection of Human and Animal Subjects

The present study was reviewed and approved by Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (ethical code: IR.IUMS.REC.1399.046). All participants provided written informed consent for this study. Research Ethics Committees Certificate available from:

https://ethics.research.ac.ir/ProposalCertificateEn.php?id=124445&Print=true&NoPrintHeader=true&NoPrintFooter=true&NoPrintPageBorder=true&LetterPrint=true


Author Contributions

M.A. and S.N.Sh. conceived the study. J.A. and S.N.Sh. wrote the first and final draft of the manuscript. M.A. and M.Kh. contributed substantially to the manuscript. All authors participated in the design of the study, revised the manuscript critically for intellectual content, and have read and approved the final manuscript.


Availability of Data and Materials

The data used and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to Iran University of Medical Sciences policy but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.




Publication History

Received: 06 June 2022

Accepted: 20 August 2022

Article published online:
05 October 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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