Use of mobile technology by patients in a comprehensive cancer center.

Abstract

e19697 Background: Use of mobile technologies (e.g. smart phones) is increasingly common among U.S. adults, and could become an important channel to provide cancer patients with information and support services. While rates of use for the general population are documented, little information is available about cancer patients overall or by specific diagnosis. We address this deficit by conducting a survey of patients’ cell phone use in a comprehensive cancer center. Methods: We surveyed a sample of volunteer adult cancer patients (n = 1,282) at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center during 2010 (survey response rate=75%). This pen and paper survey took 15 minutes to complete. The survey assessed cell phone ownership, use of additional cell phone based functions (e.g. texting, Internet searches), and use of cell phones to find information about cancer. Results: Overall, 88% of cancer patients reported owning a cell phone. Nearly half of patients (46%) reported using additional cell phone based functions, such as texting, instant messaging, or email (46%), Internet searching (22%), or downloading applications (15%). Rates of cell phone use were similar for patients across a range of cancer diagnoses: 92% breast, 87% urologic, 89% leukemia, and 86% skin cancer. There was some variation in the use of additional phone features across cancer diagnoses: 53% breast, 35% urologic, 47% leukemia, and 44% skin cancer. Additional respondent characteristics related to use of cell phone applications include age (37% > 50 vs. 74% <50, p < 0.001), gender (50% women vs. 41% men, p = 0.006), and college education (52% some college vs. 25% no college, p < 0.001). Use of cell phones to search for information about cancer was uncommon (5%). Conclusions: Cell phone ownership is common for patients across a range of cancer diagnoses and many patients use of additional cell phone features, particularly messaging. Since patients do not appear to rely on their cell phones for cancer-related information, our findings suggest that there are opportunities to improve the use of mobile technologies in cancer care. Future work could examine use of mobile technology by cancer patients treated in a variety of settings or in population-based samples of cancer patients.