Objective: Women with gynecological cancer receiving chemotherapy often report unmet supportive care needs. An app-based support programs can increase access to supportive care and may address such needs. The study is to examine the effectiveness of an app-based Gynecological Cancer Support (MGCS) program for women with gynecological cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Methods: A multi-center randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 168 Chinese women with gynecological cancer from two university-affiliated hospitals were recruited and randomized to receive routine care or MGCS program plus routine care for 24 weeks. Mishel’s uncertainty in illness theory guided the MGCS development, which has four modules: weekly topics, emotional care, discussion center, and health consultation. Uncertainty in illness, quality of life (QoL), symptom distress, and social support were evaluated at baseline (T0), 12 weeks (T1), and 24 weeks (T2). Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was used to assess MGCS effectiveness.
Results: Sixty-seven women in the control group and 69 in the intervention group completed two follow-up assessments (response rate: 81.0%). At 24 weeks, compared to women in the control group, women in the intervention group reported significant decreased ambiguity and complexity subscale scores in uncertainty in illness, and improved physical well-being and emotional well-being subscale scores in QoL.
Conclusion: The MGCS program demonstrated its effectiveness in supporting women with gynecological cancers receiving chemotherapy. The trial illustrates how an app-based program can be incorporated into routine care to support cancer groups and suggests health administrators to allocate greater resources to M-health in clinics to advance such efforts.