Feasibility of a mobile health platform for patient education and remote symptom monitoring in patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing primary chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To design and implement a mobile health (mHealth) patient engagement platform for use in patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing primary chemotherapy.

METHODS

This prospective pilot study included patients with newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing primary chemotherapy at a single institution from 8/2021-11/2023. Patients were offered enrollment in a mHealth platform which provided access to an education library and sent weekly health checks for the duration of their chemotherapy. Mild symptoms triggered recommendations for care at home, while more severe symptoms prompted a call or alert to the care team. The primary outcome was feasibility of the intervention. Secondary outcomes included frequency and severity of symptoms reported, recommended interventions, and patient reported outcomes (PROs).

RESULTS

44 patients were enrolled during the study period. Activation rate was 79.5 %. Of the patients who activated, adherence was high with 77.1 % of patients still active at 3 months. Mean number of health checks completed was 16.1 (range 1-50). Commonly reported symptoms were fatigue (26.4 %), joint pain (24.2 %), neuropathy (22.2 %), and abdominal pain (18.7 %). Of 578 total health checks, 60.2 % triggered additional education, 20.9 % prompted a call to the care team, and 9.9 % resulted in an automated alert. 94 % of patients completed at least one PRO survey.

CONCLUSIONS

This mHealth intervention was feasible in patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing primary chemotherapy and was associated with high adherence. mHealth interventions may help better identify adverse effects in patients undergoing chemotherapy and provide earlier opportunities for intervention compared to standard in-person visits.