Understanding the Attitudes of Clinicians and Patients Toward a Self-Management eHealth Tool for Atrial Fibrillation: Qualitative Study

Exploring mHealth applications for self-management of chronic low back pain: A survey of features and benefits

The adoption of Mobile Health (mHealth) for self-management is growing. mHealth solutions are commonly used in public healthcare and health services, where they are appreciated for their ease of use, broad reach, and wide acceptance. Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is one of the most common health problems and a leading cause of disability. As such, it imposes a tremendous burden on patients and society. Studies have proposed that mHealth self-management solutions, such as mobile applications, can supplement traditional care methods and benefit patients, particularly in self-managing CLBP easier. To this end, the number of available mobile applications for CLBP has increased. This paper i) provides an overview of scientific studies on mobile applications for CLBP management from three different viewpoints: researchers, health professionals, and patients, ii) uncovers the application features that were seen as beneficial in the studies, and iii) contrasts the currently available applications for CLBP in Google Play Store and Apple App Store against the discovered features. The findings show that "Personalization and customization" is the most significant feature as it is beneficial from stakeholders' viewpoint and is represented by most applications. In contrast, "Gamification" and "Artificial intelligence" are the least significant features, indicating a lack of attention from application creators and researchers in this area.

User experience of a self-management WeChat applet for patients with neurogenic bladder: A qualitative approach

Objectives

This study aimed to determine patients' perceived benefits of a WeChat applet for self-management of patients with neurogenic bladder (NGB) and identify the key factors hindering their adoption.

Methods

In the qualitative study, 19 NGB patients were invited for semi-structured interviews. They were hospitalized in the rehabilitation departments of two tertiary hospitals in Shenzhen and tried out the self-management applet for two weeks. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method.

Results

The results indicated that the WeChat applet of self-management was helpful and embraced by the NGB patients. Three perceived benefits were identified 1) being accessible, flexible, and intuitive to users, 2) driving bladder self-management, and 3) directing the way for care partners and family members. Challenges hindering the adoption of the applet included 1) negative attitudes of patients towards bladder self-management and patient characteristics, 2) concerns about the risks of mHealth, and 3) the necessity of applet upgrading.

Conclusion

This study showed feasibility of the WeChat applet for self-management among NGB patients to meet their needs for access to information during hospitalization and after discharge. The study also identified facilitators and barriers to patient use, providing valuable information for healthcare providers to implement mHealth interventions to promote self-management among NGB patients.

Patient perspectives of the Self-management and Educational Technology tool for Atrial Fibrillation (SETAF): A mixed-methods study in Singapore

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrythmia and is associated with costly morbidity such as stroke and heart failure. Mobile health (mHealth) has potential to help bridge the gaps of traditional healthcare models that may be poorly suited to the sporadic nature of AF. The Self-management and Educational technology support Tool for AF patients (SETAF) was designed based on the preferences and needs of AF patients but more study is required to assess the acceptance of this novel tool.

OBJECTIVE

Explore the usability and acceptance of SETAF among AF patients in Singapore.

METHODS

A mixed methods study was conducted with AF patients who were purposively sampled from an outpatient cardiology clinic in Singapore. After 6 weeks of using SETAF, semi-structured interviews were performed, and data were analyzed inductively following a thematic analysis approach. Results from a short 4-item survey and application usage data were also analyzed descriptively. Both qualitative and quantitative results were organized and presented following the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework.

RESULTS

A total of 37 patients participated in the study and 19 were interviewed. Participants perceived SETAF as useful for improving AF knowledge, self-management and access to healthcare providers and was easy to use due to the guided tutorial and user-friendly interface. They also identified the need for better personalization of content, psychosocial support features and reduction of language barriers. Application usage data revealed preference for AF related content and decreased interaction with the motivational message component of SETAF over time. Overall, most of the participants would continue using SETAF and were willing to pay for it.

CONCLUSIONS

AF patients in Singapore found SETAF useful and acceptable as a tool for AF management. The insights from this study not only support the potential of mHealth but may also inform the design and implementation of future mHealth tools for AF patients.

Non-use of telemedicine: A scoping review

Many telemedicine interventions fail to be implemented in medical care with non-use and discontinued use by patients being among the major reasons. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of barriers associated with non-use and discontinued use of telemedicine. An electronic search was conducted in Pubmed in October 2019 and updated in November 2020, followed by a hand search in the beginning of 2021. All potential articles were screened by two independent reviewers based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was carried out. The topics 'intervention', 'context of use' and 'user' were chosen as overarching themes. Out of 1377 potentially relevant articles, 73 were included. User-related barriers were mentioned in most of the analysed studies, followed by barriers related to the intervention. The analysis provides the basis for overcoming non-use issues in telemedicine.