Over 18 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2020. During and after cancer treatment, delivering effective out-of-hospital physical and mental health support is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing mortality. The urgent need for digital support has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare consultations delivered over video or telephone have become the norm in the post-pandemic era, particularly for people with cancer. Digital health support strategies like videoconferencing, websites, mobile phones or apps and text messages are proliferating. Evidence is growing for their effectiveness for improving quality of life, self-efficacy, physical health (e.g. fatigue, physical activity) and mental health (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression) in patients with cancer. However, scientific evaluations of publicly available digital health services and implementation of high-quality services are limited.
Despite the ubiquitous nature of digital health support for people living with cancer, evaluating the accuracy of health information, cultural appropriateness and user acceptability of available digital health support services are important. Moreover, evaluations of health economics and user-centred design of digital health support services will be essential for implementation and sustainability.
This Research Topic calls for contributions that explore quality, cultural relevance, personalisation and health economic impacts of digital health support strategies for people during or after cancer treatment, and recommended strategies for effective implementation and sustainability. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• User acceptance of digital technologies, including telehealth consultations
• Barriers to digital health adoption for patients, clinicians or healthcare systems
• Critical evaluations of digital health quality, in terms of accuracy in relation to evidence-based practice and recommendations
• Evaluations, barriers and enablers of community-based digital health programs
• Big data evaluations, including health economics and social media data
• Strategies to adapt or tailor technologies to local contexts, including cultural and linguistic considerations
We welcome the following article types:
• Empirical research papers;
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
• Evidence-informed expert commentaries or letters;
• Policy reviews
Over 18 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2020. During and after cancer treatment, delivering effective out-of-hospital physical and mental health support is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing mortality. The urgent need for digital support has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare consultations delivered over video or telephone have become the norm in the post-pandemic era, particularly for people with cancer. Digital health support strategies like videoconferencing, websites, mobile phones or apps and text messages are proliferating. Evidence is growing for their effectiveness for improving quality of life, self-efficacy, physical health (e.g. fatigue, physical activity) and mental health (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression) in patients with cancer. However, scientific evaluations of publicly available digital health services and implementation of high-quality services are limited.
Despite the ubiquitous nature of digital health support for people living with cancer, evaluating the accuracy of health information, cultural appropriateness and user acceptability of available digital health support services are important. Moreover, evaluations of health economics and user-centred design of digital health support services will be essential for implementation and sustainability.
This Research Topic calls for contributions that explore quality, cultural relevance, personalisation and health economic impacts of digital health support strategies for people during or after cancer treatment, and recommended strategies for effective implementation and sustainability. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• User acceptance of digital technologies, including telehealth consultations
• Barriers to digital health adoption for patients, clinicians or healthcare systems
• Critical evaluations of digital health quality, in terms of accuracy in relation to evidence-based practice and recommendations
• Evaluations, barriers and enablers of community-based digital health programs
• Big data evaluations, including health economics and social media data
• Strategies to adapt or tailor technologies to local contexts, including cultural and linguistic considerations
We welcome the following article types:
• Empirical research papers;
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
• Evidence-informed expert commentaries or letters;
• Policy reviews