Viability of mobile applications for remote support of radiotherapy patients

Abstract

SUMMARY BACKGROUND Technological advances of the 21st century have provided greater communication, regardless of socioeconomic class and age group. Actions to promote the development of health applications are emerging around the world. OBJECTIVE To provide a perspective on the viability and usability of mobile applications dedicated to radiotherapy patients for remote support to health professionals proposing solutions to encourage Brasil in the development of these digital tools. METHODS Cross-sectional exploratory study by systematic review and literature review. We searched the PubMed, BVS, IBGE, and WHO databases, from 2014 to 2018. RESULTS 6 articles were found with topics related to the use of mobile applications in the health area, two of which were published in Portuguese and four in the English, on oncology, from 2014 to 2018. CONCLUSIONS We did not find an expressive number of works on this subject in Brasil. Mobile applications have the potential to assist in the remote support of radiotherapy patients. The latest studies suggest the need for a regulation of data protection protocols to be deployed.

Opportunities in Telemedicine, Lessons Learned After COVID-19 and the Way Into the Future

“…Some of the radiation therapy processes that can be supported by telemedicine include patient assessments, decision to treat and prescription, 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 and immobilization and image acquisition. 27 In addition, volume delineation, 28 treatment planning, 29 , 30 , 31 setup, verification, treatment delivery, 27 and follow-up 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 can be supported. Furthermore, telemedicine applications can also be used for education and training of health care professionals 37 and in support of research and enhancing access to clinical trials.…”

Diálogos entre educação e a saúde. Práticas educacionais com tecnologias móveis em apoio ao tratamento oncológico

“…Já o trabalho de Brandao et al (2019) faz um levantamento de artigos publicados entre 2007 e 2017 relacionados à saúde, chegando à conclusão de que "a maioria dos artigos tratou sobre promoção e prevenção de doenças crônicas, principalmente o diabetes mellitus e obesidade" (p. 468), com apenas 1 referência tratando do uso de jogos digitais no contexto do câncer infantil. Cunha et al (2019), analisou artigos que tratavam do uso de aplicações móveis nos cuidados de saúde. Dentre as 6 publicações selecionadas entre 2014 e 2018, 2 eram brasileiras e tratavam do uso de tecnologias na área da saúde de forma geral, enquanto 4 eram pesquisas publicadas em outros países, focadas na aplicação das tecnologias na área da oncologia.…”

Learning and Well-Being in Educational Practices with Children and Adolescents Undergoing Cancer Treatment

“…With an appropriate methodology, mobile technology can be used in the learning of various subjects, from mandatory content in the school curriculum to subjects of general knowledge, such as health care and disease prevention [8,9]. Thus, in the area of health [10][11][12][13][14], there has been a growth in the development of applications and software with the purpose of contributing to the training and performance of doctors, nurses and health agents [15][16][17]. Technology, allied to health and education, can help the well-being and quality of life of subjects in different contexts, such as childhood cancer [17,18].…”