Reducing Incomplete Mobile Health Application Registration in Oncology

BACKGROUND: Noona is a patient-facing app used by CancerCare Manitoba to connect patients to their electronic health record and communicate with their care team. Since the implementation of Noona, staff have been responsible for registering patients with Noona. Registration rates have been consistently low. With competing clinic priorities and workload demands on front-line staff, an alternative solution was needed.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to improve Noona registration amongst cancer patients in Manitoba, Canada.

MATERIALS: We used the business process management lifecycle approach to explore reasons for low Noona registration and identify strategies to address the issue. The process problem was identified and documented, process models were developed, and semi-structured interviews with 25 front-line staff were conducted. Noona registration was redesigned, tested, and implemented in October 2024.

RESULTS: Front-line staff had limited time to discuss Noona with patients and register them to use Noona when the patient attended a clinic appointment or for treatment. Staff communication tools and support for patients were limited. Based on the process analysis, a centralized, patient-driven registration process was designed, tested, and implemented. The percentage of new accounts that were patient-activated increased over time.

CONCLUSION: The patient-driven, centralized process increased the percentage of patient-activated Noona registrations.