Acceptance, Perceived Usefulness, and Data Sharing in Mobile Health Apps Among Patients With Breast Cancer:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Oncology
• Patient Empowerment

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) apps offer potential for patient empowerment, real-time monitoring, and self-management.
• Breast cancer patients face demanding treatment procedures, making mHealth tools particularly beneficial.
• Barriers to mHealth adoption include accessibility, usability, and privacy concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate mHealth app usage, attitudes, acceptance, and usefulness among German breast cancer patients.
• Identify incentives and barriers influencing current and future mHealth app use.
• Guide the implementation and utilization of mHealth apps in breast cancer care.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional online survey conducted in Germany (November 2023 - June 2024).
• Structured questionnaire assessing technology use, app perceptions, empowerment, and data sharing.
• Recruitment via university hospitals, patient associations, and social media.

Main Results:

• High digital technology engagement observed; 97% use smartphones daily.
• 67% of participants used health apps, perceiving them as useful for understanding personal health and promoting self-management.
• Conditional willingness to share data for research, balanced by concerns about privacy and usability.

Conclusions:

• mHealth apps show potential to empower breast cancer patients by enhancing health literacy and self-management.
• Future digital health tools need adaptive features, clinical integration, and must address privacy/usability barriers.
• Longitudinal studies are needed to assess long-term impacts on patient empowerment and outcomes.