JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) programs are a critical yet underutilized resource for patients who have experienced a cardiovascular event. Mobile health (mHealth) applications can support patients in completing these programs. However, existing CR mHealth applications often focus on exercise training and provide limited support for other core components of CR, such as CR education.

Objective:

Our objective was to design, develop, and evaluate a multifaceted, patient-facing mHealth application for CR.

Methods:

This study used a user-centred design approach, involving patients in the design, development, and evaluation of a CR mHealth application. Our study was split into three phases: (i) we hosted three co-design sessions with a patient partner and a caregiver to identify design requirements and create sketches of a low-fidelity application interface; (ii) we hosted three feedback sessions with two patient partners, two caregivers, and a clinician to refine the design requirements and design a medium-fidelity interactive prototype; (iii) we developed a high-fidelity web-based mobile emulator which we evaluated and improved through 15 usability testing sessions with CR patients.

Results:

We gathered input from patient partners and caregivers throughout the co-design and feedback sessions and identified seven design requirements for a multifaceted CR mHealth application. We designed and developed low-, medium-, and high-fidelity prototypes based on these design requirements. Overall, patients and caregivers underscored their need for a multifaceted application that holistically supports their journey throughout CR.

Conclusions:

Our study highlights CR patients' interest in an mHealth tool that integrates support for multiple aspects of CR progression. Furthermore, the prototypes produced throughout this study provide a foundation for designing and developing future mHealth systems for supporting patients in CR. Future work should investigate integrating a multifaceted mHealth application into clinical settings.