A smartphone application for cardiovascular rehabilitation in cancer survivors

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with millions of survivors facing long-term health complications, particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy can induce cardiotoxicity, resulting in significant cardiovascular morbidity. As cancer survival rates improve, the need for effective management strategies to address the cardiovascular health of cancer survivors has become increasingly critical. This study aimed to develop a smartphone-based application for cardiovascular rehabilitation in cancer survivors.

This research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, users' requirements were investigated by using a questionnaire. The participants were 31 cardio-oncologists. In the second phase, a prototype of the application was designed and implemented, and its usability was evaluated quantitatively by 27 cancer survivors with cardiovascular complications and eight cardio-oncologists using a QUIS questionnaire (version 5.5). The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 28.

Most of the proposed educational content, data elements, and application features, including necessary steps to prevent cardiovascular complications in cancer survivors, risk factors for cardiovascular complications in cancer survivors, guidance on quitting smoking and exercise training, the ability to track personal and clinical data, fatigue and anxiety assessments, and communication with physicians, were considered essential items for the application. Ultimately, users evaluated the application's usability, resulting in an average mean score of 8.19 out of 9 from patients' perspectives and 8.22 out of 9 from cardio-oncologists, indicating a "good" level of user satisfaction.

The development of a smartphone-based application for cardiovascular rehabilitation in cancer survivors represents a significant step toward improving cardiovascular health management in this vulnerable population. However, more research is needed to compare the effects of remote education versus face-to-face rehabilitation on improving health literacy and patient exercise adherence.