Assessing the Usefulness of the Prevexair Smartphone Application in the Follow-Up High-Risk Patients with COPD

Smartphone applications supporting self-management programme for adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) significantly impacts on both the quality and quantity of life for patients due to frequent exacerbations requiring hospital admissions resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. A self-management programme purpose is to increase one's knowledge, confidence, and skills to self-manage their chronic illness such as COPD.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review will therefore answer the following research question: What is the current literature pertaining to the use of a smartphone app in supporting a comprehensive self-management programme among COPD patients? A preliminary search was conducted in, Medline, Embase and CINAHL databases to ascertain index terms and keywords. Following this a rigorous search was carried out on Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and ASSIA. The findings from this search are presented in tabular form using the PRSIMA flow diagram.

RESULTS

In this review, fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Across all studies participants engaged with the app and developed self-management skills and knowledge to manage their chronic illness. However, engagement with the app without third party involvement declined over time. Technical issues did not cause harm to participants but in some cases contributed to reduced engagement. Smartphone self-management apps empowered a cohort of COPD participants to engage in managing their chronic illness which proved useful in detecting exacerbations earlier resulting in reducing the need for hospitalisations over a three-to-six-month period. By reducing hospitalisations incurred a cost savings for health care and an improved quality and quantity of life for these participants.

CONCLUSION

It is evident from the literature that smartphone self-management apps may positively influence participants self-management decisions in terms of knowledge, increase physical activity, self-efficacy that may result in reduced hospitalisation and improved quality of life. It is clear that technical issues and sustained engagement over longer periods of time remains a challenge.

Remote research burden of follow-up in longitudinal patient-reported outcomes (PROs) data collection: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study (Preprint).. [DOI: 10.2196/preprints.51290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal patient-reported outcomes studies require questionnaire assessments to be administered remotely multiple times, burdening research staff.

OBJECTIVE

To define and quantify the burden that researcher may experience during patient follow-up.

METHODS

Data were collected via interviews and a questionnaire. This study is an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study. Traditional content analysis was used for the qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation, and significance was tested using the chi-square test. Learning curves of healthcare staff regarding follow-up calls were generated using cumulative summation analysis.

RESULTS

We constructed a three-dimension conceptual framework for staff burden: (a) time-related burden, (b) technical-related burden, and (c) emotional-related burden. The quantitative analysis found that follow-up time was significantly correlated with staff experience, workload, and learning curve periods. There was a significant difference between the lost-to-follow-up rate of staff with and without follow-up experience with this program. Staff working on a daily assessment schedule had a higher lost-to-follow-up rate than those on a twice-a-week schedule. Additionally, inexperienced follow-up staff needed 113 calls to achieve stable follow-up time and quality, while experienced staff needed only 55 calls.

CONCLUSIONS

Researchers in longitudinal PROs projects suffer from a multidimensional burden during remote follow-up. Our results may help establish a proper PROs follow-up protocol to reduce the burden on research staff without sacrificing data quality.