Assessment of Heart Failure Patients’ Interest in Mobile Health Apps for Self-Care: Survey Study
Open Access
- 29 October 2019
- journal article
- Published by JMIR Publications Inc. in JMIR Cardio
- Vol. 3 (2), e14332
- https://doi.org/10.2196/14332
Abstract
Background Heart failure is a serious public health concern that afflicts millions of individuals in the United States. Development of behaviors that promote heart failure self-care may be imperative to reduce complications and avoid hospital re-admissions. Mobile health solutions, such as activity trackers and smartphone apps, could potentially help to promote self-care through remote tracking and issuing reminders. Objective The objective of this study was to ascertain heart failure patients’ interest in a smartphone app to assist them in managing their treatment and symptoms and to determine factors that influence their interest in such an app. Methods In the clinic waiting room on the day of their outpatient clinic appointments, 50 heart failure patients participated in a self-administered survey. The survey comprised 139 questions from previously published, institutional review board–approved questionnaires. The survey measured patients’ interest in and experience using technology as well as their function, heart failure symptoms, and heart failure self-care behaviors. The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was among the 11 questionnaires and was used to measure the heart failure patients’ health-related quality of life through patient-reported outcomes. Results Participants were aged 64.5 years on average, 32% (16/50) of the participants were women, and 91% (41/45) of the participants were determined to be New York Heart Association Class II or higher. More than 60% (30/50) of the survey participants expressed interest in several potential features of a smartphone app designed for heart failure patients. Participant age correlated negatively with interest in tracking, tips, and reminders in multivariate regression analysis (P<.05). In contrast, MLHFQ scores (worse health status) produced positive correlations with these interests (P<.05). Conclusions The majority of heart failure patients showed interest in activity tracking, heart failure symptom management tips, and reminder features of a smartphone app. Desirable features and an understanding of factors that influence patient interest in a smartphone app for heart failure self-care may allow researchers to address common concerns and to develop apps that demonstrate the potential benefits of mobile technology.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Forecasting the Impact of Heart Failure in the United StatesCirculation: Heart Failure, 2013
- Linkages between anxiety and outcomes in heart failureHeart & Lung, 2011
- Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudesComputers in Human Behavior, 2010
- Epidemiology and risk profile of heart failureNature Reviews Cardiology, 2010
- An Update on the Self-care of Heart Failure IndexJournal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2009
- Patterns of Hospital Performance in Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure 30-Day Mortality and ReadmissionCirculation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 2009
- Development of physical and mental health summary scores from the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) global itemsQuality of Life Research, 2009
- What Do We Know About Adherence and Self-care?Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2008
- Factors predicting the use of technology: Findings from the center for research and education on aging and technology enhancement (create).Psychology and Aging, 2006
- Missing Data in Likert Ratings: A Comparison of Replacement MethodsThe Journal of General Psychology, 1998