Empowering Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review on Gamified Approaches To Health Literacy for Self-Care

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2025

Authors

Cerqueira, F (Author) Other; Marta Campos Ferreira (Author) FEUP; Campos, MJ (Author) Other; Fernandes, CS (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Medical Systems

Vol. 49

ISSN: 0148-5598

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-01A-2E9

DOI: 10.1007/s10916-025-02241-9

Abstract (EN): To address the challenges of self-care in oncology, gamification emerges as an innovative strategy to enhance health literacy and self-care among individuals with oncological disease. This study aims to explore and map how gamification can promote health literacy for self-care of oncological diseases. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR Checklist developed for scoping reviews. A comprehensive search strategy was employed across MEDLINE (R), CINAHL (R), Scopus (R), and Web of Science (R) databases, with keywords focusing on oncological patients and gamification tools applied to self-management, from inception to December 2023. Thirty studies published between 2011 and 2023 were included, with a total of 1,118 reported participants. Most interventions (n = 21) focused on the development of mobile applications. The most frequent gamification elements included customizable avatars, rewards, social interaction, quizzes, and personalized feedback. The interventions primarily targeted health literacy and patient education, symptom monitoring, management of side effects, pain control, and adherence to medication and nutrition regimens. The integration of gamification elements into digital health solutions for oncology is expanding and holds promises for supporting health literacy and self-care. Further studies, preferably longitudinal, are needed to assess the effectiveness and impact of these interventions across different oncological populations and clinical settings.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14