JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mobile health applications may provide an efficient way for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) to log and communicate symptoms and medication side effects with their clinicians.

Objective:

To explore the perceptions of older men with LUTS after using a mobile health application to track their symptoms and tamsulosin side effects.

Methods:

Structured phone interviews were conducted after a 2-week study piloting the daily use of a mobile application to track severity of patient-selected LUTS and tamsulosin side effects. Quantitative and qualitative data were considered.

Results:

Nineteen (100%) pilot study participants completed the post-study interviews. Most men (68%) reported that the daily questionnaires were the right length, with 32% reporting that the questionnaires were too short. Men with more severe symptoms were less likely to report changes in perception of health or changes in self-management; 47% of men reported improved awareness of symptoms and 5% of men adjusted fluid intake based on the questionnaire. All men were willing to share application data with their clinicians. Thematic analysis of qualitative data yielded 8 themes: 1) orientation (setting up app, format, symptom selection, side effect selection), 2) triggers (routine/habit, symptom timing), 3) daily questionnaire (reporting symptoms, reporting side effects, tailoring), 4) technology literacy, 5) perceptions (awareness, causation/relevance, data quality, convenience, usefulness, other apps), 6) self-management, 7) clinician engagement (communication, efficiency), and 8) improvement (reference materials, flexibility, language, management recommendations, optimize clinician engagement).

Conclusions:

We assessed the perceptions of men using a mobile health application to monitor and improve management of LUTS and medication side effects. LUTS management may be further optimized by tailoring the mobile application experience to meet patients’ individual needs, such as tracking a greater number of symptoms and integrating the application with clinicians’ visits. Mobile health applications are likely a scalable modality to monitor symptoms and improve care of older men with LUTS. Further study is required to determine the best ways to tailor the mobile application and to communicate data to clinicians or incorporate data into the electronical medical record meaningfully.