Journal of Gastric Cancer

The Korean Gastric Cancer Association (대한위암학회)
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Development and Feasibility Assessment of Mobile Application-Based Digital Therapeutics for Postoperative Supportive Care in Gastric Cancer Patients Following Gastrectomy

  • Ji-Hyeon Park (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Hyuk-Joon Lee (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • JeeSun Kim (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Yo-Seok Cho (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Sunjoo Lee (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Seongmin Park (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Hwinyeong Choe (Department of Nursing, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Eunhwa Song (Department of Food Service and Nutrition Care, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Youngran Kim (Department of Food Service and Nutrition Care, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) Seoul National University (SNU) Boramae Medical Center) ;
  • Seong-Ho Kong (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Do Joong Park (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Byung-Ho Nam (HERINGS, The Institute of Advanced Biomedical and Clinical Research) ;
  • Han-Kwang Yang (Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital)
  • Received : 2024.06.17
  • Accepted : 2024.08.17
  • Published : 2024.10.01
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Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and assess the feasibility and effectiveness of digital therapeutics for supportive care after gastrectomy. Materials and Method: The study included 39 patients with gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive gastrectomy and were able to use a mobile application (app) on their smartphones. The developed research app automatically calculates and provides daily targets for calorie and protein intake based on the patient's body mass index (BMI). Patients recorded their daily diets, weights, and symptoms in the app and completed special questionnaires to assess the feasibility of the app in real-world clinical practice. Results: At the 10-week follow-up, the mean questionnaire scores for ease of learning, usability, and effectiveness of the app (primary endpoint) were 2.32±0.41, 2.35±0.43, and 2.4±0.39 (range: 0-3), respectively. Patients were classified as underweight (<18.5, n=4), normal (18.5-24.9, n=24), or overweight (≥25.0, n=11) according to predischarge BMI. Underweight patients showed higher compliance with app usage and a higher rate of achieving the target calorie and protein intake than normal weight and overweight patients (98% vs. 77% vs. 81%, p=0.0313; 102% vs. 75% vs. 61%, P=0.0111; 106% vs. 79% vs. 64%, P=0.0429). Two patients transitioned from underweight to normal weight (50.0%), one patient (4.3%) transitioned from normal weight to underweight, and two patients (22.2%) transitioned from overweight to normal weight. Conclusions: The mobile app is feasible and useful for postoperative supportive care in terms of ease of learning, usability, and effectiveness. Digital therapeutics may be an effective way to provide supportive care for postgastrectomy patients, particularly in terms of nutrition.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We are deeply grateful to all members of the gastrointestinal surgical team at Seoul National University Hospital and HERINGS for their efforts in this study.

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