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INTRODUCTION Radiotherapy is an area of medicine that is little known by patients and that requires a long time for the doctor to be able to explain and resolve the doubts that arise in the first consultation, which may cause anxiety and low adherence to treatment recommendations. A mobile app called Canswer was developed to address this problem in a novel way to help patients learn about radiation oncology in their free time. OBJECTIVE Developed a mobile app that provides oncology radiotherapy information to patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS The patients who attended the consultation for the first time were provided with information and obtained verbal consent, later they were provided with the Canswer application on their mobile device, and at the end, a Likert-type perception survey was applied and the Cancer Treatment Survey (CATS), which analyzed the information needs of patients. Anxiety and depression were analyzed through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS Of the total number of patients recruited, 17 patients from northeast Mexico with breast cancer agreed that the use of the application would be useful to them and were interested in receiving additional information after their first-time radiotherapy consultation from March to June 2022. Average age of respondents was 45 years. A total of 7 patients (41%) had doubts about radiotherapy after consultation. When analyzing their knowledge, only 1 patient identified that radiotherapy works by DNA damage, the rest had wrong information, 14 patients thought that this treatment works by heating the cells; 2 thought that radiation therapy causes cells to burst. 8 patients (47%) understood how teletherapy works and 5 how brachytherapy works (19%). A question was included about the best skin care during breast radiotherapy in which 76% correctly answered that the skin should be washed daily with water and neutral soap, but 24% answered that hydrating creams should be applied just before stepping into the machine. Regarding the duration of the consultation, a total of 10 patients (60%) thought it was too short. 47% felt the limited time of the consultation did not allow an adequate evaluation. 100% of the respondents were satisfied with the information provided about the type of treatment, its benefits, and adverse effects, however, 47% persisted with doubts at the end of the consultation. 47% of patients (n=8) had some level of anxiety with 29% mild, 11% moderate and 6% severe. Incidence of depression was 24% with 18% having mild form and 6% severe. Regarding the information provided by the doctor during the consultation, 8 patients (47%) would like their doctor to have told them more about anxiety and depression, 7 about sexuality concerns (41%), and 6 (35%) about alternative medicine. 79% of patients wanted to know more about the side effects the treatment might cause after their visit, and 71% reported wanting to know more about how to prevent side effects. 66% also reported that they would like more information about how the treatment feels when it begins. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION This analysis revealed that most patients have doubts about radiotherapy, even after the information provided in their first consultation. This may be multifactorial but a key factor may be work overload at radiotherapy centers and a consultation of short duration. This application seems to be an effective, easily accessible, free tool that provides the necessary information, even on topics that are difficult to explain in a standard consultation. Important aspects that the app needs to focus on in future updates include side effects and their management, sexuality, nutrition, depression, and alternative medicine. This application also revealed misconceptions that should be routinely addressed, such as skin care during treatment. Link to app: https://www.canswer.info/?page_id=393 Citation Format: Jose F. Muñoz Lozano, Diana Cristina Pérez Ibave, Estefania Abundis Marquez, Fernando Alcorta Nuñez, Celia B. Gonzalez Alcorta, Carlos Salazar Mejia, Maria Fernanda Noriega, Omar Zayas Villanueva, Victor Oyervides Juarez, Larisa M. Renteria Garcia, Adelina Alcorta Garza, Juan Francisco Gonzalez Guerrero, Valeria Luna, David Hernandez, Rafael Piñeiro Retif, Oscar Vidal Gutiérrez. EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF A MOBILE APP THAT ADDRESSES RADIOTHERAPY INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-03. |
