Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Cardio
Date Submitted: Oct 2, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 2, 2021 - Nov 27, 2021
Date Accepted: Mar 7, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Use of mobile applications in heart failure self-management: a qualitative study exploring the patient and primary care clinician perspective
ABSTRACT
Background:
Heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation, morbidity, and mortality in the world. Heart failure self-management is challenging and involves a set of self-care behaviours required to reduce the risk of deterioration, identify signs and symptoms of exacerbation, and avoid hospitalisation. Mobile applications (apps) have the potential to facilitate heart failure self-management tasks.
Objective:
This study aimed to explore patients’ and clinicians’ perspectives on the facilitators and barriers to using mobile applications, as well as desired features, to support heart failure self-management.
Methods:
Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted in a general practice clinic in Sydney. Eligible participants were adult heart failure patients and health care professionals who provided care to these patients at the clinic. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic data analysis in NVivo 12.
Results:
Twelve participants were interviewed: six patients (mean age 69±7.9 years) and six clinicians. The main facilitators to the use of apps to support heart failure self-management included the ability for communication between clinicians and patients, personalized feedback and education, and automated self-monitoring. Other desired features included facilitated monitoring of patient-reported measures and mental health tools. Main barriers were related to patients’ digital literacy.
Conclusions:
The use of mobile apps to support heart failure self-management can be facilitated by several features identified in this study. Future research should consider these features in the co-design and testing of heart failure mobile apps with patients and clinicians.
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