The role of e-Health in the delivery of care for patients with haematological cancers: a systematic literature review

Sally Taylor, Sarah Bellhouse, Matthew Allsop, John Radford, Janelle Yorke

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Haematological cancer survivors have significant unmet needs. The use of e-Health interventions has been shown to be effective in improving patient experiences and outcomes in other diseases. The aim of this review is to explore the role of e-Health interventions in the delivery of care for patients with haematological cancers across the illness trajectory.

Methods: A systematic narrative review approach using thematic analysis was used to identify the key issues and themes in the literature. Medical subject headings and keywords were used in several databases: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo CINAHL and The Cochrane Collaboration Cochrane Review Database. This review focuses on the use of e-Health interventions for patients with haematological cancer within any study design.

Results: 23 studies were identified in this review. The studies were of varying design: RCTs (n=6); pre and post design (n=1); feasibility and acceptability (n=11) and varying methodological quality. Seven studies included patients with any cancer diagnosis rather than focusing specifically on haematology patients. Our thematic analysis identified four main categories of intervention: information provision (n=4); self-help (n=6); communication facilitation (n=5); patient reported outcome (PRO) recording or monitoring (n=8).

Conclusion: The clinical management of patients with haematological cancers, particularly those in survivorship, presents opportunities to explore e-Health approaches to improve patient care. This review highlights that e-Health tools may be acceptable and feasible to use with a haematology patient population, but more robust and well-designed trials that engage patients and health professionals are required to determine which and how interventions can be used most effectively.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1093-1105
Number of pages13
JournalTelemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association
Volume26
Issue number9
Early online date24 Mar 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Sept 2020

Keywords

  • e-health
  • m-health
  • telehealth
  • technology
  • hematology

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Manchester Cancer Research Centre

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