The Effect of Informative Mobile App Use on Anxiety, Distress, and Quality of Life of Women With Breast Cancer


Sarac F. S., Ilhan S. E., Kutun S., KUTLUTÜRKAN S.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BREAST HEALTH, sa.3, ss.207-214, 2024 (ESCI, TRDizin) identifier

Özet

Objective: To evaluate the effect of mobile app-based educational information on anxiety, distress, and quality of life in patients with breast cancer (BC). Materials and Methods: This mobile app was designed to assist patients before and after BC surgery. This randomized controlled study was conducted between April and August 2021. The intervention group (n = 42) received routine care and access to the mobile app for one month, while the control group (n = 40) received only routine care. Data were collected using questionnaires one week before and three weeks after surgery. Results: The patients in the intervention group, after using the mobile app, had significantly lower anxiety and distress levels than those in the control group (p<0.05). However, there was no difference between the two groups regarding overall quality of life and subscale mean scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that using informative mobile apps starting before surgery can effectively reduce anxiety and distress in the early periods after surgery. Although the impact on overall quality of life was insignificant, such interventions may have long-term positive effects on quality of life.