Feasibility of a Mobile Phone App and Telephone Coaching Survivorship Care Planning Program Among Spanish-Speaking Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Background Spanish-speaking Latina breast cancer survivors experience disparities in knowledge of breast cancer survivorship care, psychosocial health, lifestyle risk factors, and symptoms compared with their white counterparts. Survivorship care planning programs (SCPPs) could help these women receive optimal follow-up care and manage their condition. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a culturally and linguistically suitable SCPP called the Nuevo Amanecer (New Dawn) Survivorship Care Planning Program for Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients in public hospital settings, approaching the end of active treatment. Methods The 2-month intervention was delivered via a written bilingual survivorship care plan and booklet, Spanish-language mobile phone app with integrated activity tracker, and telephone coaching. This single-arm feasibility study used mixed methods to evaluate the intervention. Acceptability and feasibility were examined via tracking of implementation processes, debriefing interviews, and postintervention satisfaction surveys. Preliminary efficacy was assessed via baseline and 2-month interviews using structured surveys and pre- and postintervention average daily steps count based on activity tracker data. Primary outcomes were self-reported fatigue, health distress, knowledge of cancer survivorship care, and self-efficacy for managing cancer follow-up health care and self-care. Secondary outcomes were emotional well-being, depressive and somatic symptoms, and average daily steps. Results All women (n=23) were foreign-born with limited English proficiency; 13 (57%) had an elementary school education or less, 16 (70%) were of Mexican origin, and all had public health insurance. Coaching calls lasted on average 15 min each (SD 3.4). A total of 19 of 23 participants (83%) completed all 5 coaching calls. The majority (n=17; 81%) rated the overall quality of the app as “very good” or “excellent” (all rated it as at least “good”). Women checked their daily steps graph on the app between 4.2 to 5.9 times per week. Compared with baseline, postintervention fatigue (B=–.26; P= .02; Cohen d =0.4) and health distress levels (B=–.36; P= .01; Cohen d =0.3) were significantly lower and knowledge of recommended follow-up care and resources (B=.41; P= .03; Cohen d =0.5) and emotional well-being improved significantly (B=1.42; P= .02; Cohen d =0.3); self-efficacy for managing cancer follow-up care did not change. Average daily steps increased significantly from 6157 to 7469 (B=1311.8; P= .02; Cohen d =0.5). Conclusions We found preliminary evidence of program ...

Patterns of Use of Smartphone-Based Interventions Among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors: Secondary Analysis of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…However, due to the few culturally adapted web-based interventions for patients with cancer, evaluation of the usage of these apps among minority patients has not been well-studied. The Nuevo Amanecer smartphone app for Latina breast cancer survivors, for example, is a culturally tailored smartphone app for Latina breast cancer survivors, which focuses on physical activity promotion [ 56 ]. Results from the Nuevo Amanecer feasibility trial revealed that women checked their physical activity tracking 4-6 times per week but click level data and total minutes spent engaging in the smartphone app were not reported as part of the study findings [ 56 ].…”

A Review of AI and Data Science Support for Cancer Management

“…Due to adding wearable sensors, results collected via the symptom questionnaires could be confronted with the collected vital signs. Nápoles et al [27] presented a solution where a commercial-grade activity tracker was used together with the app to monitor and display progress toward a personalized daily steps goal.…”

Development and evaluation of a bladder Cancer specific survivorship care plan by patients and clinical care providers: a multi-methods approach

“…A systematic review of these studies [ 27 ] has shown that the use of SCPs has resulted in high levels of cancer survivor satisfaction, high levels of survivor perception that SCPs enhanced communication between providers, and variable levels of distress [ 27 , 28 ]. Increasing evidence points to the benefits and efficacy of survivorship care plans in reducing fatigue and distress, and improving long-term physical health and emotional well-being, physician-patient communication, patient experiences, and knowledge of recommended follow-up care [ 29 , 30 ]. SCPs therefore provide an opportunity to engage survivors in their health care, while also capturing meaningful treatment-related outcomes to use as basis for making informed decisions [ 31 ].…”