Seizing Opportunities in Mobile Health Technologies and Heart Failure: Empowering Patients and Informing Clinicians

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasbanoo Moayedi ◽  
Heather J. Ross
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Health Technologies

scholarly journals Smartphone Ownership and Interest in Mobile Health Technologies for Self-care Among Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Cross-sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan W Leigh ◽  
Ben S Gerber ◽  
Christopher P Gans ◽  
Mayank M Kansal ◽  
Spyros Kitsiou
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
African American ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Mhealth Apps

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent chronic condition that places a substantial burden on patients, families, and health care systems worldwide. Recent advances in mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer great opportunities for supporting many aspects of HF self-care. There is a need to better understand patients’ adoption of and interest in using mHealth for self-monitoring and management of HF symptoms. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess smartphone ownership and patient attitudes toward using mHealth technologies for HF self-care in a predominantly minority population in an urban clinical setting. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult outpatients (aged ≥18 years) at an academic outpatient HF clinic in the Midwest. The survey comprised 34 questions assessing patient demographics, ownership of smartphones and other mHealth devices, frequently used smartphone features, use of mHealth apps, and interest in using mHealth technologies for vital sign and HF symptom self-monitoring and management. RESULTS A total of 144 patients were approached, of which 100 (69.4%) participated in the study (63/100, 63% women). The participants had a mean age of 61.3 (SD 12.25) years and were predominantly Black or African American (61/100, 61%) and Hispanic or Latino (18/100, 18%). Almost all participants (93/100, 93%) owned a cell phone. The share of patients who owned a smartphone was 68% (68/100). Racial and ethnic minorities that identified as Black or African American or Hispanic or Latino reported higher smartphone ownership rates compared with White patients with HF (45/61, 74% Black or African American and 11/18, 61% Hispanic or Latino vs 9/17, 53% White). There was a moderate and statistically significant association between smartphone ownership and age (Cramér <i>V</i> [Φ<sub>C</sub>]=0.35; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), education (Φ<sub>C</sub>=0.29; <i>P</i>=.001), and employment status (Φ<sub>C</sub>=0.3; <i>P</i>=.01). The most common smartphone features used by the participants were SMS text messaging (51/68, 75%), internet browsing (43/68, 63%), and mobile apps (41/68, 60%). The use of mHealth apps and wearable activity trackers (eg, Fitbits) for self-monitoring of HF-related parameters was low (15/68, 22% and 15/100, 15%, respectively). The most popular HF-related self-care measures participants would like to monitor using mHealth technologies were physical activity (46/68, 68%), blood pressure (44/68, 65%), and medication use (40/68, 59%). CONCLUSIONS Most patients with HF have smartphones and are interested in using commercial mHealth apps and connected health devices to self-monitor their condition. Thus, there is a great opportunity to capitalize on the high smartphone ownership among racial and ethnic minority patients to increase reach and enhance HF self-management through mHealth interventions.

scholarly journals Smartphone Ownership and Interest in Mobile Health Technologies for Self-Monitoring and Management of Heart Failure Symptoms (Preprint)

JMIR Cardio ◽  
10.2196/31982 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Leigh ◽  
Ben S Gerber ◽  
Christopher P Gans ◽  
Mayank M Kansal ◽  
Spyros Kitsiou
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Health Technologies

Mobile health technologies to improve walking distance in people with intermittent claudication

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marah Elfghi ◽  
Denise Dunne ◽  
Jennifer Jones ◽  
Irene Gibson ◽  
Gerard Flaherty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intermittent Claudication ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Health Technologies

The Ethics of Mobile Health Technology

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S39-S39
Author(s):  
S. Galderisi ◽  
F. Caputo
Keyword(s):  
Health Equity ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Health Technologies

IntroductionMobile health (m-health) technology has been growing rapidly in the last decades. The use of this technology represents an advantage, especially for reaching patients who otherwise would have no access to healthcare. However, many ethical issues arise from the use of m-health. Health equity, privacy policies, adequate informed consent and a competent, safe and high quality healthcare need to be guaranteed; professional standards and quality of doctor-patient relationship in the digital setting should not be lower than those set for in-person practice.AimsTo assess advantages and threats that may arise from the wide use of m-health technologies, in order to guarantee the application of the best medical practices, resulting in the highest quality healthcare.MethodsA literature search has been conducted to highlight the most pressing ethical issues emerging from the spreading of m-health technologies.ResultsFew ethical guidelines on the appropriate use of m-health have been developed to help clinicians adopt a professional conduct within digital settings. They focus on the need for professional associations to define ethical guidelines and for physicians to take care of their education and online behavior when using m-health technologies.ConclusionsThe rapid spreading of m-health technologies urges us to evaluate all ethical issues related to its use. It would be advisable to produce an ethical code for the use of these new technologies, to guarantee health equity, privacy protection, high quality doctor-patient relationships and to ensure that m-health is not chosen over traditional care for merely economic purposes.Disclosure of interestSG received honoraria or Advisory board/consulting fees from the following companies: Lundbeck, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Hoffman-La Roche, Angelini-Acraf, Otsuka, Pierre Fabre and Gedeon-Richter. All other authors have declared.

Exclusion by Design: Lack of Information about Community Participation in COVID-19-related Mobile Apps and its Relationship to Digital Health Disparities (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammed Yassin Idris ◽  
Maya Korin ◽  
Faven Araya ◽  
Sayeeda Chowdhury ◽  
Humberto Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Participation ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
App Development ◽  
Communities Of Color

UNSTRUCTURED The rate and scale of transmission of COVID-19 overwhelmed healthcare systems worldwide, particularly in under-resourced communities of color that already faced a high prevalence of pre-existing health conditions. One way the health ecosystem has tried to address the pandemic is by creating mobile apps for telemedicine, dissemination of medical information, and disease tracking. As these new mobile health tools continue to be a primary format for healthcare, more attention needs to be given to their equitable distribution, usage, and accessibility. In this viewpoint collaboratively written by a community-based organization and a health app development research team, we present results of our systematic search and analysis of community engagement in mobile apps released between February and December 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide an overview of apps’ features and functionalities but could not find any publicly available information regarding whether these apps incorporated participation from communities of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We argue that while mobile health technologies are a form of intellectual property, app developers should make public the steps taken to include community participation in app development. These steps could include community needs assessment, community feedback solicited and incorporated, and community participation in evaluation. These are factors that community-based organizations look for when assessing whether to promote digital health tools among the communities they serve. Transparency about the participation of community organizations in the process of app development would increase buy-in, trust, and usage of mobile health apps in communities where they are needed most.

scholarly journals Mobile Health Apps for Medical Emergencies: Systematic Review

10.2196/18513 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e18513
Author(s):  
Alejandro Plaza Roncero ◽  
Gonçalo Marques ◽  
Beatriz Sainz-De-Abajo ◽  
Francisco Martín-Rodríguez ◽  
Carlos del Pozo Vegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Store ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Medical Emergencies ◽  
Google Play

Background Mobile health apps are used to improve the quality of health care. These apps are changing the current scenario in health care, and their numbers are increasing. Objective We wanted to perform an analysis of the current status of mobile health technologies and apps for medical emergencies. We aimed to synthesize the existing body of knowledge to provide relevant insights for this topic. Moreover, we wanted to identify common threads and gaps to support new challenging, interesting, and relevant research directions. Methods We reviewed the main relevant papers and apps available in the literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used in this review. The search criteria were adopted using systematic methods to select papers and apps. On one hand, a bibliographic review was carried out in different search databases to collect papers related to each application in the health emergency field using defined criteria. On the other hand, a review of mobile apps in two virtual storage platforms (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) was carried out. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are related to the Android and iOS operating systems, respectively. Results In the literature review, 28 papers in the field of medical emergency were included. These studies were collected and selected according to established criteria. Moreover, we proposed a taxonomy using six groups of applications. In total, 324 mobile apps were found, with 192 identified in the Google Play Store and 132 identified in the Apple App Store. Conclusions We found that all apps in the Google Play Store were free, and 73 apps in the Apple App Store were paid, with the price ranging from US $0.89 to US $5.99. Moreover, 39% (11/28) of the included studies were related to warning systems for emergency services and 21% (6/28) were associated with disaster management apps.

scholarly journals Design of a Consumer Mobile Health App for Heart Failure: Findings From the Nurse-Led Co-Design of Care4myHeart (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanna Woods ◽  
Jed Duff ◽  
Erin Roehrer ◽  
Kim Walker ◽  
Elizabeth Cummings
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Data Feedback

BACKGROUND Consumer health care technology shows potential to improve outcomes for community-dwelling persons with chronic conditions, yet health app quality varies considerably. In partnership with patients and family caregivers, hospital clinicians developed Care4myHeart, a mobile health (mHealth) app for heart failure (HF) self-management. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to report the outcomes of the nurse-led design process in the form of the features and functions of the developed app, Care4myHeart. METHODS Seven patients, four family caregivers, and seven multidisciplinary hospital clinicians collaborated in a design thinking process of innovation. The co-design process, involving interviews, design workshops, and prototype feedback sessions, incorporated the lived experience of stakeholders and evidence-based literature in a design that would be relevant and developed with rigor. RESULTS The home screen displays the priority HF self-management components with a reminder summary, general information on the condition, and a settings tab. The health management section allows patients to list health care team member’s contact details, schedule medical appointments, and store documents. The My Plan section contains nine important self-management components with a combination of information and advice pages, graphical representation of patient data, feedback, and more. The greatest strength of the co-design process to achieve the design outcomes was the involvement of local patients, family caregivers, and clinicians. Moreover, incorporating the literature, guidelines, and current practices into the design strengthened the relevance of the app to the health care context. However, the strength of context specificity is also a limitation to portability, and the final design is limited to the stakeholders involved in its development. CONCLUSIONS We recommend health app development teams strategically incorporate relevant stakeholders and literature to design mHealth solutions that are rigorously designed from a solid evidence base and are relevant to those who will use or recommend their use.

scholarly journals Establishing a Research Agenda on Mobile Health Technologies and Later-Life Pain Using an Evidence-Based Consensus Workshop Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1416-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Wethington ◽  
Christopher Eccleston ◽  
Geri Gay ◽  
Rachael Gooberman-Hill ◽  
Patricia Schofield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Health Technologies

scholarly journals Use of mobile health technologies for postoperative care in paediatric surgery: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2093468
Author(s):  
Nam Nguyen ◽  
Etienne Leveille ◽  
Elena Guadagno ◽  
Luc Malemo Kalisya ◽  
Dan Poenaru
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Postoperative Care ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Paediatric Surgery ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Surgery Patient ◽  
Wide Range

Introduction Mobile health (mHealth) is the use of mobile communication devices such as smartphones, wireless patient monitoring devices and tablet computers to deliver health services. Paediatric surgery patient care could potentially benefit from these technologies. This systematic review summarises the current literature on the use of mHealth for postoperative care after children’s surgery. Methods Seven databases were searched by a senior medical librarian. Studies were included if they reported the use of mHealth systems for postoperative care for children  <18 years old. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed in duplicate. Results A total of 18 studies were included after screening. mHealth use was varied and included appointment or medication reminders, postoperative monitoring and postoperative instruction delivery. mHealth systems included texting systems and mobile applications, and were implemented for a wide range of surgical conditions and countries. Discussion Studies showed that mHealth systems can increase the postoperative follow-up appointment attendance rate ( p < 0.001), decrease the rate of postoperative complications and returns to the emergency department and reliably monitor postoperative pain. mHealth systems were generally appreciated by patients. Most non-randomised and randomised studies had many methodological problems, including lack of appropriate control groups, lack of blinding and a tendency to devote more time to the care of the intervention group. mHealth systems have the potential to improve postoperative care, but the lack of high-quality research evaluating their impact calls for further studies exploring evidence-based mHealth implementation.

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