Depok, 4 Juli 2025 – Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women in Indonesia. As life expectancy and the number of survivors continue to rise, healthcare services are shifting focus—not only toward treatment but also toward improving quality of life through optimal post-therapy care. Responding to this need, Lina Anisa Nasution from the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Indonesia (FoN UI), successfully earned her Doctorate in Nursing Science after defending her dissertation during the Public Doctoral Promotion Session held on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the FoN UI Campus in Depok.

The dissertation, titled “The Effect of Post-Therapy Breast Cancer Care Using the Cancerosa Personal Health Record on Self-Efficacy, Coping, and Self-Care,” highlights the importance of digital interventions in supporting post-therapy care for breast cancer survivors. The study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based Personal Health Record (PHR) model, named Cancerosa, as a tool to assist survivors during the recovery phase.

The doctoral defense was chaired by Prof. Dra. Junaiti Sahar, S.Kp., M.App.Sc., Ph.D. Lina was accompanied by Prof. Dr. Yati Afiyanti, S.Kp., MN as the promoter, along with Prof. Dra. Setyowati, S.Kp., M.App.Sc., Ph.D. and Prof. Dr. Putu Wuri Handayani, S.Kom., M.Sc. as co-promoters. Serving as examiners were experts from various disciplines: Prof. Dr. dr. Noorwati Sutandyo, Sp.PD-KHOM, FINASIM; Prof. Drs. Heru Suhartanto, M.Sc., Ph.D; Dr. Miko Hananto, S.KM., M.Kes; and Prof. Hartiah Haroen, S.Kp., M.Kes., M.Ng., Ph.D.

Using a research and development approach, this study was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved exploring the experiences of 30 breast cancer survivors, which resulted in five key themes that served as the foundation for model development. The second phase focused on designing and piloting Cancerosa—a web-based Personal Health Record (PHR)—with 30 users. The third phase was an effectiveness trial involving 102 breast cancer survivors as respondents.

The results of the study showed that the use of Cancerosa significantly improved self-efficacy, coping abilities, and self-care practices among female breast cancer survivors. After controlling for various confounding variables, the intervention was proven to have a strong positive impact—both psychologically and behaviorally—in supporting patient independence during post-therapy follow-up care.

Lina Anisa Nasution’s findings offer a significant contribution to the field of maternity nursing, particularly in relation to women’s health and oncology nursing, by advancing digital health services integrated with a person-centered care approach. This research also strengthens FoN UI’s efforts to develop nursing innovations that are adaptive to the needs of the times and holds great potential to be recommended as a supportive model for sustainable care in various healthcare facilities across Indonesia.

Cancerosa, as a web-based Personal Health Record, is expected to serve not only as an educational tool but also as a platform for survivors to record, monitor, and better understand their health conditions in a more independent and structured manner.