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Garcia-Foncillas JAuthorLlamas-Sillero PAuthor

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February 16, 2026
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Article

New Technologies and Digital Health Tools in Patients With Solid Tumors and Hematological Malignancies: Cross-Sectional Multicenter Survey Study.

Publicated to: Jmir Cancer. 12 e58823-e58823 - 2026-01-01 12(), DOI: 10.2196/58823

Authors:

Lopez-Garcia A; Diaz-Aizpun C; Gallego-Diaz B; Miranda-Castillo C; Yuste-Platero M; Beltran-Alvarez P; Carames-Sanchez C; Garcia-Foncillas J; Llamas-Sillero P; Del Olmo-Rodriguez M; Short-Apellaniz J; Pfang B; Arcos-Campillo J; Cordoba R
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Affiliations

Clinical and Organizational Research Unit, Quironsalud Hospital, Avenida Reyes Católicos 2, Madrid, 28040, Spain, 34 900301013. - Author
Department of Hematology, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Health Research Institute IIS-FJD, Madrid, Spain. - Author
Department of Hematology, Infanta Elena University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. - Author
Department of Hematology, Regional University Hospital, Malaga, Spain. - Author
Department of Hematology, Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. - Author
Department of Hematology, Villalba General University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. - Author
Department of Oncology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Health Research Institute IIS-FJD, Madrid, Spain. - Author
Lymphoma Unit, Department of Hematology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Health Research Institute IIS-FJD, Madrid, Spain. - Author
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Abstract

BackgroundBarriers to eHealth use include lack of technological infrastructure, resistance to change, and inequities in access. However, patterns of access to and use of eHealth tools in people being treated for cancer have not been fully described in the literature.ObjectiveOur aim was to describe the patterns of access to and use of eHealth tools among outpatients receiving treatment for hematological malignancies and solid tumors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional multicenter study using a survey offered to patients aged over 18 years receiving outpatient treatment for hematological malignancies or solid tumors at 4 teaching hospitals in Madrid, Spain, between February 1, 2021, and November 30, 2021. The survey instrument featured questions about patients' demographic and social characteristics, cancer diagnosis, use of information and communication technology (ICT), use and opinions of the Patient Portal, and changes in ICT use during the COVID-19 pandemic. To study the relationship between the different variables, 2-tailed Student t tests or ANOVA were used for variables with normal distribution, and the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for variables with nonnormal distribution. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (version 25; IBM Corp) for Windows.ResultsIn total, 200 patients were included in our study. Median age was 60 (range 21-87) years. A total of 130 (65%) patients presented with hematological malignancies. Most (n=181, 90.5%) patients considered that eHealth tools might help to improve communication with the medical team during their treatment. Retired participants (28.6% vs 71.4%; P<.001), those older than 60 years (26% vs 74%; P<.001), and those without higher education (2.6% vs 97.4%; P<.001) showed significantly lower rates of internet use, with no observed sex-related differences. A total of 177 (88.5%) patients found the Patient Portal useful, and 140 (70%) reported increased use of ICT due to the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionsMost (177/200, 88.5%) patients viewed eHealth tools as useful and believed that it was helpful to improve communication with their care team. However, notable gaps in the use of eHealth were observed in certain groups of patients, with significant differences in use due to age, education, and employment status. Strategies to identify subgroups at risk for unequal access to digital health, as well as to facilitate access and use, are warranted.
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Keywords

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBarrierCancerCancer careCancer diagnosisCovid-19Cross-sectional studiesCross-sectional studyDigital healthDigital health toolsEhealthFemaleHematologic neoplasmsHematological malignanciesHumansMaleMiddle agedNeoplasmsOncohematologyPatient portalsSars-cov-2SpainSurveySurveys and questionnairesTelemedicineTumorYoung adult

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Jmir Cancer due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2026, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Oncology. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q3 for the agency WoS (JCR) in the category Oncology.

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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-04:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 2.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 2 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 1.
  • The number of mentions on the social network Facebook: 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
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