Fulltext

mHealth Interventions to Improve Cancer Screening and Early Detection: Scoping Review of Reviews

Schliemann D 1 , Tan MM 2 , Hoe WMK 2 , Mohan D 3 , Taib NA 4 , Donnelly M 1 Show all authors , Su TT 1

Affiliations 

  • 1 Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • 2 South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
  • 3 Global Public Health, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Cancer Research Institute, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
J Med Internet Res, 2022 Aug 15;24(8):e36316.
PMID: 35969450 DOI: 10.2196/36316

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cancer screening provision in resource-constrained settings tends to be opportunistic, and uptake tends to be low, leading to delayed presentation and treatment and poor survival.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify, review, map, and summarize findings from different types of literature reviews on the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve the uptake of cancer screening.

METHODS: The review methodology was guided by the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews). Ovid MEDLINE, PyscINFO, and Embase were searched from inception to May 2021. The eligible criteria included reviews that focused on studies of interventions that used mobile phone devices to promote and deliver cancer screening and described the effectiveness or implementation of mHealth intervention outcomes. Key data fields such as study aims, types of cancer, mHealth formats, and outcomes were extracted, and the data were analyzed to address the objective of the review.

RESULTS: Our initial search identified 1981 titles, of which 12 (0.61%) reviews met the inclusion criteria (systematic reviews: n=6, 50%; scoping reviews: n=4, 33%; rapid reviews: n=1, 8%; narrative reviews: n=1, 8%). Most (57/67, 85%) of the interventions targeted breast and cervical cancer awareness and screening uptake. The most commonly used mHealth technologies for increasing cancer screening uptake were SMS text messages and telephone calls. Overall, mHealth interventions increased knowledge about screening and had high acceptance among participants. The likelihood of achieving improved uptake-related outcomes increased when interventions used >1 mode of communication (telephone reminders, physical invitation letters, and educational pamphlets) together with mHealth.

CONCLUSIONS: mHealth interventions increase cancer screening uptake, although multiple modes used in combination seem to be more effective.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

MeSH terms
Similar publications