ISPOR issue panel focuses on addressing barriers to mHealth in cancer care

ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), held an issue panel this afternoon that focused on mHealth in cancer care at its 20th Annual European Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

The issue panel, "mHealth Among Clinicians and Patients in Cancer Care: How to Address the Digital Divide" [IP26], was moderated by Rosanna Tarricone, PhD, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. Panelists included Maria Cucciniello, PhD, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy; Roma Maguire, PhD, MSc, University of Surrey, Glasgow, UK; and Nicola Scalzo, MSc, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium.

The use of mobile technologies in health care-;mHealth-;is surging in cancer care; however, its potential has yet to be fully explored. The panel reviewed mHealth's use in cancer care today, explored its potential, and discussed the barriers that currently prevent greater utilization. Maria Cucciniello, PhD discussed the results of an international survey on the use of mHealth that included the determinants that explain differences in uptake rates. Roma Maguire, PhD, MSc offered an overview of the potential mHealth has to empower patients and facilitate symptom management. Nicola Scalzo, MSc provided a regulatory perspective on mHealth and commented on how the newly adopted European Union regulation on medical devices may impact mHealth. ​