Consumer Health Informatics for Cancer Treatment Engagement

Cancer is defined by the National Cancer Institute as a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Often cancers may start in any part of the body and begin with small tumors [1]. Engagement of a patient with a cancer diagnosis is determined by an individual’s belief that they have a problem and what action they are willing to take. The field of Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) represents new possibilities for healthcare delivery as a framework for more personalized and holistic healthcare that fosters active selfmanagement of one’s state of health in terms of both remediating health dysfunction and promoting wellness. Every patient goes through the initial issues of health belief and transtheoretical stages of changes in life. Engagement of a patient with a cancer diagnosis is determined by an individual’s belief that they have a problem. Current work in these topics independently shows that cancer consumers/patients are open to technology for many aspects of everyday life. However, the challenges occur when addressing various types of cancers due to each situation being different. The needs for health information and the type of health information are different. Innovative technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) which uses both mobile applications and paper target images. Cancer patients and caregivers may be willing to test innovative AR technology by downloading a mobile application and be provided with target images that may be printed out and view the material for educational purposes. Educational programs can be developed to continue the engagement started by the physician. By using AR and VR tools, engagement can extend beyond the exam room and into the world.

Keywords: Consumer health informatics; Patient engagement; Health literacy; Digital literacy