scholarly journals Patient testing of a mobile health app and review of educational materials designed for gout patient self-management (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Danh Nguyen ◽  
Lauren J Frensham ◽  
Michael XC Wong ◽  
Sylvain MM Meslin ◽  
Paige Martin ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Gout is a form of chronic arthritis caused by elevated serum uric acid (SUA) and culminates in painful gout attacks. Effective uric acid-lowering therapies exist, however adherence is low. This is partly due to the lack of support for patients to self-manage their disease. Mobile health applications (apps) have been used in self-management of chronic conditions. However, not all are developed with patients, limiting their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to design an effective gout self-management app by collecting feedback from gout patients. METHODS Two mixed-methods studies were conducted. In Study 1, researchers developed a short educational video and written materials about gout management, designed to be embedded into an app. Six interviews and one focus group were held with gout patients to gather feedback on these materials. Usability testing in Study 2 involved additional gout patients using a pilot version of Healthy.me Gout, a gout self-management app, for two weeks. Following the trial, patients participated in an interview about their experiences using the app. RESULTS Patients viewed the gout educational material positively, appreciating the combined use of video, text and images. Patients were receptive to using a mobile app to self-manage their gout. Feedback about Healthy.me Gout was generally positive, with patients reporting that the tracking and diary features were most useful. Patients also provided suggestions for improving the app and educational materials. CONCLUSIONS These studies involved patients in the development of a gout self-management app. Patients provided insight to improve the app’s presentation and usability, and general lessons on useful features for chronic disease apps. Gout patients enjoyed tracking their SUA concentrations and gout attack triggers. These capabilities can be translated to self-management apps for chronic diseases that require monitoring of pathological values, medication adherence and/or symptoms. Future health app design should integrate patient input and be developed iteratively to address concerns identified by patients.

Author(s):  
Zhifang Guan ◽  
Liu Sun ◽  
Qian Xiao ◽  
Yanling Wang

Abstract Background Enhancing the self-management capability of asthma patients can improve their level of asthma control. Although the use of mobile health technology among asthmatics to facilitate self-management has become a growing area of research, studies of mobile health applications (apps), especially for evaluating indicators of asthma apps, are deficient in scope. This study aimed to develop a reliable framework to assess asthma apps (i.e., content and behavior change strategies) using the Delphi survey technique. Methods An initial list of quality rating criteria for asthma apps was derived from reviewing the literature and experts in the fields of respiratory disease and nursing informatics rated the items on the list in three rounds. The weights of items were determined employing an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Results Sixty-two items were retained within 10 domains. Consensus was reached on 32 items concerning asthma self-management education, 25 items concerning behavioral change strategies, and five items concerning principles for app design. There was moderate agreement among participants across all items in round three. The weights of the dimensions, sub-dimensions, and items ranged from 0.049 to 0.203, 0.138 to 1.000, and 0.064 to 1.000, respectively. All random consistency ratio values were less than 0.1. Conclusions Asthma self-management education and strategies are essential parts to support self-management for patients. This analysis provides evidence of evaluating criteria for apps targeting chronic and common diseases.


Author(s):  
Sahar Khenarinezhad ◽  
Ehsan Ghazanfari Savadkoohi ◽  
Leila Shahmoradi

Aim: During the epidemic and with an increase in coronavirus (COVID-19) disease prevalence, emergency care is essential to help people stay informed and undertake self-management measures to protect their health. One of these self-management procedures is the use of mobile apps in health. Mobile health (mHealth) applications include mobile devices in collecting clinical health data, sharing healthcare information for practitioners and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and the direct provision of care (via mobile telemedicine). Mobile apps are increasing to improve health, but before healthcare providers can recommend these applications to patients, they need to be sure the apps will help change patients' lifestyles. Method: A search was conducted systematically using the keywords "Covid-19," "Coronavirus," "Covid-19, and Self-management" at the "Apple App Store". Then we evaluated the apps according to MARS criteria in May 2020. Results: A total of 145 apps for COVID-19 self-management were identified, but only 32 apps met our inclusion criteria after being assessed. The overall mean MARS score was 2.9 out of 5, and more than half of the apps had a minimum acceptability score (range 2.5-3.9). The "who academy" app received the highest functionality score. Who Academy, Corona-Care and First Responder COVID-19 Guide had the highest scores for behavior change. Conclusion: Our findings showed that few apps meet the quality, content, and functionality criteria for Covid-19 self-management. Therefore, developers should use evidence-based medical guidelines in creating mobile health applications so that, they can provide comprehensive and complete information to both patients and healthcare provider.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 815-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao-Yun Kao ◽  
Chun-Wang Wei ◽  
Min-Chun Yu ◽  
Tyng-Yeu Liang ◽  
Wen-Hsiung Wu ◽  
...  

RMD Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e001014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Najm ◽  
Elena Nikiphorou ◽  
Marie Kostine ◽  
Christophe Richez ◽  
John D Pauling ◽  
...  

BackgroundMobile health applications (apps) are available to enable people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) to better self-manage their health. However, guidance on the development and evaluation of such apps is lacking.ObjectivesThe objective of this EULAR task force was to establish points to consider (PtC) for the development, evaluation and implementation of apps for self-management of RMDs.MethodsA systematic literature review of app content and development strategies was conducted, followed by patient focus group and an online survey. Based on this information and along with task force expert opinion, PtC were formulated in a face-to-face meeting by a multidisciplinary task force panel of experts, including two patient research partners. The level of agreement among the panel in regard to each PtC was established by anonymous online voting.ResultsThree overarching principles and 10 PtC were formulated. Three PtC are related to patient safety, considered as a critical issue by the panel. Three are related to relevance of the content and functionalities. The requirement for transparency around app development and funding sources, along with involvement of relevant health professionals, were also raised. Ease of app access across ages and abilities was highlighted, in addition to considering the cost benefit of apps from the outset. The level of agreement was from 8.8 to 9.9 out of 10.ConclusionThese EULAR PtC provide guidance on important aspects that should be considered for the development, evaluation and implementation of existing and new apps.


2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 1068-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Farzandipour ◽  
Ehsan Nabovati ◽  
Reihane Sharif ◽  
Marzieh Arani ◽  
Shima Anvari

Objective The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence regarding the effects of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) for self-management outcomes in patients with asthma and to assess the functionalities of effective interventions. Methods We systematically searched Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included English-language studies that evaluated the effects of smartphone or tablet computer apps on self-management outcomes in asthmatic patients. The characteristics of these studies, effects of interventions, and features of mHealth apps were extracted. Results A total of 10 studies met all the inclusion criteria. Outcomes that were assessed in the included studies were categorized into three groups (clinical, patient-reported, and economic). mHealth apps improved asthma control (five studies) and lung function (two studies) from the clinical outcomes. From the patient-reported outcomes, quality of life (three studies) was statistically significantly improved, while there was no significant impact on self-efficacy scores (two studies). Effects on economic outcomes were equivocal, so that the number of visits (in two studies) and admission and hospitalization-relevant outcomes (in one study) statistically significantly improved; and in four other studies, these outcomes did not improve significantly. mHealth apps features were categorized into seven categories (inform, instruct, record, display, guide, remind/alert, and communicate). Eight of the 10 mHealth apps included more than one functionality. Nearly all interventions had the functionality of recording user-entered data and half of them had the functionality of providing educational information and reminders to patients. Conclusion Multifunctional mHealth apps have good potential in the control of asthma and in improving the quality of life in such patients compared with traditional interventions. Further studies are needed to identify the effectiveness of these interventions on outcomes related to medication adherence and costs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ericles A. Bellei ◽  
Hugo R. K. Lisboa ◽  
Ana Carolina De Marchi

Na rotina de tratamento de Diabetes Mellitus (DM), o paciente precisa considerar diversos dados e fatores. Nessa perspectiva, esta dissertação apresenta um aplicativo para acompanhamento da interdependência entre os fatores de tratamento de DM Tipo 1 com uma abordagem de visualização de dados interativa. Inicialmente, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura para investigar as funcionalidades e as técnicas de fundamentação dos aplicativos existentes. Na sequência, um aplicativo foi prototipado, avaliado preliminarmente com 76 pacientes, e implementado junto de um painel de controle web. Por fim, foi conduzido um experimento piloto com 4 pacientes e uma avaliação de satisfação com 97 pacientes e 9 profissionais de saúde.


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