Indigenous people living with cancer: developing a mobile health app for improving their psychological well-being

Poor cancer outcomes experienced by Indigenous Australians result from advanced cancer stages at diagnosis, poorer uptake of and adherence to treatments, higher levels of co-morbidity, and poorer access to inclusive and culturally appropriate care compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Socio-economics and social support can mitigate these problems. Technology-based interventions hold considerable promise for enhancing social support. This paper asks what are the key features of a mobile health application designed to improve the social support and consequently psychological well-being of Indigenous Australians living with cancer? To answer this question, a comprehensive literature review of studies conducted in information systems and health disciplines has been undertaken and a theoretical model is proposed. This study contributes to the existing knowledge base through the development of a new theoretical model and the introduction of the features of a mobile health application that may have a positive impact among Indigenous Australian cancer patients’ psychological well-being.