Development of mobile health-based self-management support for patients with lung cancer: A stepwise approach.
Xiaosha Ni, Yan Lou, Wenyi Hu and 5 others
PMID 35128821WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with lung cancer wanted practical help after discharge with breathlessness, cough, fatigue, pain, emotional adjustment and role changes.
A WeChat self-management account was accepted and used, but this was a development test, not proof it improves outcomes.
Key findings
01Patients reported insufficient professional support, poor symptom management skills, emotional and role adjustment difficulties, and limited peer support.
02In the two-week pilot, 13 patients accessed the WeChat account 670 times and all found it helpful.
03After using the account, participants reported feeling more confident managing symptoms and less socially isolated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The pilot had only 13 patients and lasted two weeks, so it cannot show long-term effects. The authors say this small sample test was a step before conducting an RCT, so the study did not test whether the platform works compared with usual care. Participants were recruited from one hospital in China and used WeChat, so the findings may not transfer to patients without WeChat or different health systems. The platform could not give interactive feedback to self-assessment results, and self-assessment forms were not used frequently. Some patients wanted more person-to-person guidance, and the authors note that older participants' need for further self-help assistance was not fully addressed. The symptoms included were based on the literature review and interviews and were not adequate, and patients asked for support for other symptoms such as insomnia.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive feedback as proof that the WeChat account improves lung cancer symptoms or patient outcomes. It was a small two-week development and acceptability test with 13 patients, and the authors call for further prospective study to evaluate long-term effects.