Self-Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Mobile Applications

Mollard, Elizabeth; Michaud, Kaleb

doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00968-7

Cited by 25 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Mollard identifies two broad categories of RA apps. 9 Self-management apps include those that offer RA disease education, lifestyle education and monitoring, community connection-based apps, and those that connect users to rheumatologist providers. Self-monitoring RA apps are those that allow patients to record and monitor activity, such as medication management and pain management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient Perspectives on a Digital Mobile Health Application for RA

Chahal¹,

Biln²,

Clarke

2021

OARRR

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Background: Emerging evidence suggests that patients are increasingly willing to use digital mobile health applications for rheumatoid arthritis (RA apps). The development and diffusion of RA apps open the possibility of improved management of the disease and better physician-patient interactions. However, adoption rates among apps have been lower than hoped, and research shows that many available RA apps lack key features. There is little research exploring patient preferences for RA apps or patients' habits and preferences for app payment, which are likely key factors affecting adoption of this technology. This study seeks to understand characteristics of RA patients who have adopted RA apps, their preferences for app features, and their willingness to pay for, and experiences with app payment.Methods: Data for this study come from a 33-question online survey of patients with RA in Canada and the United States (N=30). Information on demographics, diagnosis and management of RA, current use and desired features of RA apps, and prior experience with and willingness to pay for an app was collected. Descriptive statistics are reported, and bivariate analyses (chi-square, point-biserial correlation, and ANOVA) were performed to understand relationships between variables. Results: Respondents showed a clear preference for certain app features, namely symptom tracking, scheduling appointments, and reminders. Physician recommendation for an app and patient tracking of symptoms with an app were significantly related to patient adoption of an RA app. Years since diagnosis with RA, physician recommendation for an RA app, and current use of a non-RA health tracking app were significantly related to patients' willingness to pay a subscription for an RA app. Conclusion:RA patients appear to prefer task support features in an RA app, notably symptom tracking, appointment scheduling, and reminders, over other features such as those related to dialogue support and social support. The choice of whether an RA app will be free or based on a subscription, pay-per-service, or one-time purchase model may also play a role in eventual adoption. Similarly, physician recommendation appears to influence patients' decision to use an RA app as well as their willingness to pay a subscription for an app.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient Perspectives on a Digital Mobile Health Application for RA

Chahal¹,

Biln²,

Clarke

2021

OARRR

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“…Mobile health applications (mhealth apps) have undergone signi cant development in recent years and are of increasing interest and usefulness to help patients manage their chronic in ammatory arthritis (IA), that is, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) including psoriatic arthritis [1][2][3]. Most mhealth apps for IA described in the English literature have addressed symptom tracking, including disease activity, pain and fatigue [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Patient education is advocated to develop self-care for better autonomy in daily life and for participating in decisions concerning their own health and treatment [12]. Dematerialized education is promoted [12], and apps may have appropriate tools for self-management such as managing medications, problem-solving or coordinating care [3]. Moreover, some educational apps have good quality [8.10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development, implementation and real-life use assessment of HIBOOT: a smartphone application for safety, self-assessment and medication adherence for patients with inflammatory arthritis. A user-centred step-by-step approach.

Beauvais

Pham

Montagu³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background Mobile health applications (apps) are increasing in interest for enhancing patient self-management in rheumatology. However, few have been developed with the involvement of patients and health professionals and actually used by patients. Objective To develop and implement a mobile app for safety, self-assessment and medication adherence for patients with inflammatory arthritis treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and assess its real-life use. Methods A mixed qualitative-quantitative study including 42 and 344 patients, respectively, identified patients’ treatment practices and their use of health apps in general and their needs in terms of content and potential use. A multidisciplinary team including 7 rheumatologists, 3 patient association representatives and 4 members of a digital company developed the first version of the app with face-to-face meetings and patient feedback during the process. After the launch of the app, users’ feedback assessment included 7 patients and 3 rheumatologists. The number of app installations, current users, users’ requests and functionalities used were collected. Results Preliminary studies indicated numerous safety issues and needs for counselling, leading to the 6 functionalities of the app HIBOOT (OWL in English): a safety checklist before treatment administration, aid in daily life situations related to self-management and safety, treatment reminders, global well-being self-assessment, periodic counselling messages, and a diary to note comments and appointments. The app is free, with no personal data collection. The presentation is a friendly companion that interacts with the user. The content was based on the French recommendations for DMARD management, drug leaflets and public national health websites. HIBOOT was installed 20,500 times from 2017 to 2020, with 4300 regular current users and still increasing usage curves. The checklist, diary and queries on daily life situations were the most used functionalities. Overall, 18,000 requests were identified for information on safety or other patient matters over a 8-month period in 2020. Scores were 4.4/5 stars at Android and iOS stores. Conclusion HIBOOT is a free app for patients with inflammatory arthritis that was developed with a preliminary qualitative–quantitative study including patients during the process and has scientifically validated content. The number of current users is substantial. Future evaluation of the HIBOOT benefit is needed.

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“…10 Subsequently, discussing these results with healthcare providers enables patients to actively participate in their own disease management and may result in a more personal approach to treatment and enhance shared decision making. [9][10][11] Additionally, the use of these health apps have the potential to improve the efficiency of care, such as in determining whether to postpone a visit or to perform the visit remotely in patients in remission or with low disease activity (LDA). 8 In this issue of The Journal of Rheumatology, Kempin et al report a proof-of-concept study that investigated the performance of a health app, the AxSpA Live App, with respect to usability, adherence, and equivalence of data in the daily care of patients with axSpA.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Poor patient compliance and high attrition rates are well-known limitations to the use of health apps. 11,13 Patients may be motivated and enthusiastically start using an app but may become tired of repeatedly recording their symptoms and lose interest over time. The poor adherence rate in the study by Kempin et al might be explained by the relatively short interval between assessments, as well as the high number of required data transfers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%