A qualitative study was designed to explore nurses' perceptions of the use of physical restraints on elderly patients in Hong Kong. Content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 registered nurses working in medical and geriatric settings of two regional hospitals revealed that although nurses generally had mixed feelings about the use of physical restraints on elderly patients, they did not question this 'routine' practice and their knowledge about the consequences and alternatives to the use of restraint was limited. It was found that nurses had an overriding concern in ensuring elderly patients' physical safety and using restraints therefore provided them with a sense of security. The deleterious impact of restraint on the care received by elderly patients was largely unrecognized. Implications for practice and future studies are discussed in the light of these findings.
Digital health programs offer numerous psychological and physical health benefits. To date, digital programs have been aimed broadly at younger participants, yet older individuals may also benefit. Our study sought to demonstrate user feasibility and satisfaction in a digital wellness program for older adults. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 140 participants in a digital health wellness application that integrated guided exercises, nutrition planning and health education. Primary outcomes were active participant retention, engagement in the mobile program and user satisfaction as operationalized by NPS scores. Among 140 participants, median age was 59.82 (50–80), 61% female, in a sample taken in the United States. Engagement was high and sustained, with more than 65% participants engaged, operationalized as at least completing one task activity a month over 17 weeks. Participants were also satisfied with the program, reporting NPS scores of 43 on day 30 of the program. Secondary health outcomes included 3.44 pound weight change during the first month. User feasibility and satisfaction was demonstrated in a sample of older participants for this novel digital health wellness program. Future work focused on older adult users may result in improvements in patient health outcomes and improved preventive medicine strategies.
BACKGROUND Digital wellness and fitness programs offer numerous psychological and physical health benefits, yet to date, most programs have been aimed broadly at a younger healthy demographic. Older individuals and individuals with polychronic medical conditions may benefit from digital wellness programs. OBJECTIVE We sought to describe overall health and healthcare system utilization by users of a novel digital wellness program (“Mighty Health”) METHODS Convenience sample survey of Mighty health users that had been using the program for at least 90 days and completing at least 5 weekly tasks within the program. Survey queried demographics, overall health, weight loss, functional mobility, pain, and overall mood. Healthcare utilization was also assessed in the form of unscheduled doctor visits. For individuals with diabetes, participants were surveyed over HgbA1 change since starting Mighty Health. For individuals with hypertension, participants surveyed over change in systolic blood pressure. For individuals with hyperlipidemia, participants surveyed over change in LDL. RESULTS 166 active users of Mighty Health met inclusion criteria for the study and completed the survey. The mean age of participants was 61.2. 88.6% endorsed feeling overall healthier since starting Mighty Health. Participants on average experienced a weight loss of 11.2lbs (SD 12.7). 77.7% of the participants reported improvement in mobility. Among diabetes participants, participants reported an average decreased in their hemoglobin A1C by 0.7 (SD: 0.8), while those with HTN reported an improvement of 12 mm Hg (SD 12) in their systolic blood pressure. Individuals with hyperlipidemia, reported an average improvement in their LDL by 12 mg/dL (SD 16). 14.5% endorsed a decrease in these unscheduled healthcare visits since starting Mighty Health. CONCLUSIONS A Digital wellness program aimed at older individuals with polychronic disease showed encouraging positive associations between usage and health outcomes. Future trials exploring such programs may enhance primary and secondary prevention of disease in older adults. CLINICALTRIAL N/A
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