Acceptance of digital apps in the aftercare of head and neck tumors

Introduction Structured tumor aftercare is considered the most important component in the treatment of tumor patients after completion of therapy. As regular examinations are often associated with a high financial and time expenditure for patients, the question arises of a possible complement in the sense of digital tumor aftercare which could be used to record patient-reported outcome measures [1]. These have been shown to lead to an improved quality of life [2]. However, it is still unclear to what extent the majority of older patients will accept digitally supported systems and if HPV status plays a role here.

Material and methods Prospective study to record the interest of tumor patients in a digitalized form of tumor aftercare using a self-administered questionnaire (n=110).

Results In the study, the majority of tumor patients were interested in using an app for their tumor disease. As expected, when age was taken into account, the number increased even further in patients

Conclusion The introduction of an app is supported by the majority of tumor patients. This has not yet been shown for head and neck tumor patients. In addition to recording the patient-reported outcome, other applications (appointment reminders, patient file, sports/nutrition programs) could also be integrated.

 

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• References

• 1 Böhm F.. et al. "Onkologische Nachsorge von Kopf-Hals-Tumor-Patienten,". HNO 2022; vol. 70 (4) pp. 317-330
• 2 Basch E.. et al. "Overall Survival Results of a Trial Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes for Symptom Monitoring During Routine Cancer Treatment,". JAMA 2017; vol. 318 (2) pp. 197-198

Publication History

Article published online:
19 April 2024