Text Messaging in Cancer-Supportive Care: A Systematic Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: As the number of patients with cancer continues to rise globally, developing methods to support these patients is important for providing high-quality care. The aim of our systematic review is to describe and examine the use of text-based communications in cancer supportive care. We identified 18 studies suitable for inclusion in our review. Overall, patients were satisfied with using text-based communication in their cancer care. Results were inconsistent within other outcome categories; however, specific interventions yielded some positive results such as the use of reminders for promoting medication adherence. While the results of this review should not be considered conclusive, it illustrates that further research on the use of text-based communications in cancer-supportive care is warranted. ABSTRACT: The global cancer disease burden is substantial, resulting in increased economic and clinical strain on our healthcare systems. A proposed solution is text-based communication, which can be used for cancer-supportive care. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize and describe the use of text-based communications for cancer-supportive care. Our population of interest included adult patients with cancer. A total of 18 studies were included in the review: 9 RCTs and 9 non-randomized interventional/observational studies. Patients were largely satisfied with text-based communication during their cancer care. Compared to controls, results for other outcomes including symptoms and quality of life were largely mixed; however, no harms were observed. Furthermore, positive outcomes were seen for specific interventions, such as text message medication reminders. These findings should be considered with caution due to the considerable heterogeneity observed between studies regarding their design and reported outcomes and the high risk of bias associated with 6/18 studies. Overall, this review suggests that text-based communication may be a complementary tool for cancer-supportive care; however, more research is needed to examine the feasibility of implementation and use.