The Effects of a Nurse-led MHealth Program for Symptom Self-management of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Breast cancer (BC) survivors will experience multiple symptoms following chemotherapy. During the pandemic of COVID-19, the closure of clinics and fear of infection lead to BC patients' challenges in self-managing their multiple symptoms in home settings. Mobile health (mHealth), without time and space limitation, plays a positive role in supporting self-management and treatment compliance. However, previous mHealth self-management studies did not report sustained beneficial effects with physician-led supervision. In oncology practice, the nurse-led model of patient self-management for breast cancer has been placed on greater emphasis. Accordingly, an innovative nurse-led supervised mHealth program was designed to support self-management for BC patients undergoing chemotherapy. This pilot study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led mHealth-based self-management program for BC patients receiving chemotherapy, in order to provide evidence for conducting a definitive trial. The feasibility outcomes of the pilot study include subject eligibility rate, recruitment rate, and retention rate. The efficacy outcomes relate to self-efficacy (primary outcome), symptom distress and frequency, as well as health-related quality of life, and healthcare utilisation. The qualitative outcomes encompass patient- and provider-users' perceptions of the app usability and subjects' experiences of engaging in the pilot study.