Strategies for Tailoring Patient-Centered Technologies Across the Cancer Continuum: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Cancer Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• Cancer disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities, rural residents, and low-income individuals in the US.
• Black and African American populations face higher cancer mortality; Hispanic populations have increased infection-related cancer diagnoses.
• Culturally tailored health information technologies (HITs) can address health inequities by providing relevant cancer care information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective elements for tailoring HITs for diverse underserved populations.
• To determine methods for enhancing the acceptability and effectiveness of technology-based interventions.
• To develop a framework for tailoring HITs to improve engagement and acceptance among underserved groups.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases will be conducted.
• Search terms will encompass cancer, HITs, tailoring, and underserved populations, supplemented by snowball searches.
• Inclusion criteria focus on US-based, English-language, peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies on tailored HIT interventions.

Main Results:

• Preliminary searches identified 784 unique citations for review.
• Data extraction will cover study design, population, technology, methods, outcomes, acceptability, and tailoring strategies.
• Findings are anticipated by Spring 2026, adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for more accessible HITs for underserved populations.
• This review will inform the development of culturally tailored, effective cancer-specific HITs.
• The findings aim to support the creation of acceptable and usable technologies for minority, rural, and low-income groups.