mHealth Apps for Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation: State of the Practice Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shíofra Ryan

BACKGROUND The number of mobile health (mHealth) apps released for musculoskeletal (MSK) injury treatment and self-management of home-exercise programmes (HEPs) has risen rapidly in recent years as digital health interventions are explored and researched in more detail. As this number grows, it is becoming increasingly difficult for users to navigate the market and select the most appropriate app for their use-case. It is also unclear as to what features developers of these apps are harnessing to support patient self-management, and how they fit into clinical care pathways. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to scope the current market of mHealth apps for MSK rehabilitation and to report on the app features, claims, evidence-base and functionalities. METHODS A cross-sectional study of apps for MSK rehabilitation was performed across both major app stores: iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Four search terms were used; physiotherapy rehabilitation, physical therapy rehabilitation, rehabilitation exercise and therapeutic exercise, to identify apps which were then cross-referenced against set selection criteria by four reviewers. Each reviewer, where possible, downloaded the app and accessed supplementary literature available on the product to assist in data extraction. RESULTS A total of 1322 apps were identified. After application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria and removal of duplicates, 144 apps were included in the study. Over half of the included apps (56.3%) had been released within the past three years. Three quarters (74.3%) of the apps made no reference to evidence supporting the design or efficacy of the app, with only 11.1% providing direct citations to research. The majority of apps did utilise exercise pictures (95.8%) or videos (67.4%), however comparatively few harnessed additional features to encourage engagement and support self-management such as an adherence log (45.8%), communication portal (22.2%), patient reported outcome capture (25%), or direct feedback (39.6%). Of note, and somewhat concern, many of these apps prescribed generic exercises (64.6%) in the absence of individualised input to the user, with few providing specific patient education (34%), and safety advice or disclaimers (26.4%). CONCLUSIONS The cohort of apps included in this study contained a large heterogeneity of features meaning it is difficult for users to identify the most appropriate or effective app. Many apps are missing the opportunity to offer key features which could promote exercise adherence and encourage self-management in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Furthermore, very few developers currently offering products on the market are providing evidence to support the design and efficacy of their technologies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Robinson-Papp ◽  
Gabriela Cedillo ◽  
Richa Deshpande ◽  
Mary Catherine George ◽  
Qiuchen Yang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Collecting patient-reported data needed by clinicians to adhere to opioid prescribing guidelines represents a significant time burden. OBJECTIVE We developed and tested an opioid management app (OM-App) to collect these data directly from patients. METHODS OM-App used a pre-existing digital health platform to deliver daily questions to patients via text-message and organize responses into a dashboard. We pilot tested OM-App over 9 months in 40 diverse participants with HIV who were prescribed opioids for chronic pain. Feasibility outcomes included: ability to export/integrate OM-App data with other research data; patient-reported barriers and adherence to OM-App use; capture of opioid-related harms, risk behaviors and pain intensity/interference; comparison of OM-App data to urine drug testing, prescription drug monitoring program data, and validated questionnaires. RESULTS OM-App data was exported/integrated into the research database after minor modifications. Thirty-nine of 40 participants were able to use OM-App, and over the study duration 70% of all OM-App questions were answered. Although the cross-sectional prevalence of opioid-related harms and risk behaviors reported via OM-App was low, some of these were not obtained via the other measures, and over the study duration all queried harms/risks were reported at least once via OM-App. Clinically meaningful changes in pain intensity/interference were captured. CONCLUSIONS OM-App was used by our diverse patient population to produce clinically relevant opioid- and pain-related data, which was successfully exported and integrated into a research database. These findings suggest that OM-App may be a useful tool for remote monitoring of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain. CLINICALTRIAL NCT03669939 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-doi:10.1016/j.conctc.2019.100468



2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cátia Caneiras ◽  
Cristina Jácome ◽  
Sagrario Mayoralas-Alises ◽  
José Ramon Calvo ◽  
João Almeida Fonseca ◽  
...  

The increasing number of patients receiving home respiratory therapy (HRT) is imposing a major impact on routine clinical care and healthcare system sustainability. The current challenge is to continue to guarantee access to HRT while maintaining the quality of care. The patient experience is a cornerstone of high-quality healthcare and an emergent area of clinical research. This review approaches the assessment of the patient experience in the context of HRT while highlighting the European contribution to this body of knowledge. This review demonstrates that research in this area is still limited, with no example of a prescription model that incorporates the patient experience as an outcome and no specific patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) available. This work also shows that Europe is leading the research on HRT provision. The development of a specific PREM and the integration of PREMs into the assessment of prescription models should be clinical research priorities in the next several years.



2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bradley ◽  
Andrew Shelton ◽  
Trevor Hodge ◽  
David Morris ◽  
Hilary Bekker ◽  
...  

Objective: To measure patient-reported impact of orthodontic treatment in terms of pre-treatment concerns, treatment experience and treatment outcome. Setting: Four sites in Yorkshire, including two secondary care settings (Leeds Dental Institute and St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford) and two specialist orthodontic practices. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Participants: NHS orthodontic patients (aged 12+ years) who have completed comprehensive orthodontic treatment, excluding orthognathic surgery and craniofacial anomalies. Methods: Participants were opportunistically identified by the direct clinical care team during scheduled appointments and those eligible were invited to participate. Data were collected using the Orthodontic Patient Treatment Impact Questionnaire (OPTIQ), a validated 12-item measure with questions relating to pre-treatment experience, impact of treatment and outcome from treatment. Results: Completed questionnaires for analysis included 120 from primary care and 83 from secondary care. The most common pre-treatment concerns were alignment (89%) and being embarrassed to smile (63%). The most common expectations from orthodontic treatment were improved confidence to eat (87%) and smile (72%) in front of others, improved appearance of teeth (85%) and reduced teasing/bullying (63%). Only 67% respondents recalled receiving written information and the lowest recall related to retainer type and length of retention. The most commonly reported complications were sore mouth (68%), fixed appliance breakage (61%) and gingivitis (39%). Treatment caused greatest impact in relation to pain, limitations in eating and effect on speech. Overall satisfaction with orthodontic treatment was reported by 96% of respondents, 87% would have orthodontic treatment again (if needed) and 91% would recommend treatment to a friend. Conclusions: The OPTIQ is a useful patient-reported tool to identify pre-treatment concerns and expectations, treatment experience and outcome. Orthodontic treatment leads to high levels of satisfaction.



BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e052495
Author(s):  
Rebecca M Lovett ◽  
Lauren Opsasnick ◽  
Andrea Russell ◽  
Esther Yoon ◽  
Sophia Weiner-Light ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo examine the prevalence of mental health symptoms during the first surge of COVID-19 in the USA, and their associations with COVID-19-related emotional distress, health self-management and healthcare utilisation.DesignCross-sectional analysis of wave 3 (1–22 May 2020) survey data from the ongoing Chicago COVID-19 Comorbidities (C3) study.SettingSeven academic and community health centres in Chicago, Illinois.Participants565 adults aged 23–88 with one or more chronic conditions completing at least one prior C3 study wave.Primary and secondary outcome measuresClinically relevant anxiety and depressive symptoms as measured using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short forms. Self-reported emotional and health-related responses to COVID-19 were measured through a combination of single-item questions and validated measures.ResultsRates of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 14% (81/563) and 15% (84/563), respectively. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were then each separately associated with greater worry about contracting COVID-19 (relative risk (RR) 2.32, 95% CI 1.52 to 3.53; RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.54), greater stress (RR 4.93, 95% CI 3.20 to 7.59; RR 3.01, 95% CI 1.96 to 4.61) and loneliness (RR 3.82, 95% CI 2.21 to 6.60; RR 5.37, 95% CI 3.21 to 8.98), greater avoidance of the doctor (RR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.49; RR 1.54, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.36) and difficulty managing health (least square means (LS Means) 6.09, 95% CI 5.25 to 6.92 vs 4.23, 95% CI 3.70 to 4.75; LS Means 5.85, 95% CI 5.04 to 6.65 vs 4.22, 95% CI 3.70 to 4.75) and medications (LS Means 3.71, 95% CI 2.98 to 4.43 vs 2.47, 95% CI 2.02 to 2.92) due to the pandemic.ConclusionsIdentifying and addressing mental health concerns may be an important factor to consider in COVID-19 prevention and management among high-risk medical populations.



Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1261
Author(s):  
Hetanshi Naik ◽  
Latha Palaniappan ◽  
Euan A. Ashley ◽  
Stuart A. Scott

Digital health (DH) is the use of digital technologies and data analytics to understand health-related behaviors and enhance personalized clinical care. DH is increasingly being used in clinical trials, and an important field that could potentially benefit from incorporating DH into trial design is pharmacogenetics. Prospective pharmacogenetic trials typically compare a standard care arm to a pharmacogenetic-guided therapeutic arm. These trials often require large sample sizes, are challenging to recruit into, lack patient diversity, and can have complicated workflows to deliver therapeutic interventions to both investigators and patients. Importantly, the use of DH technologies could mitigate these challenges and improve pharmacogenetic trial design and operation. Some DH use cases include (1) automatic electronic health record-based patient screening and recruitment; (2) interactive websites for participant engagement; (3) home- and tele-health visits for patient convenience (e.g., samples for lab tests, physical exams, medication administration); (4) healthcare apps to collect patient-reported outcomes, adverse events and concomitant medications, and to deliver therapeutic information to patients; and (5) wearable devices to collect vital signs, electrocardiograms, sleep quality, and other discrete clinical variables. Given that pharmacogenetic trials are inherently challenging to conduct, future pharmacogenetic utility studies should consider implementing DH technologies and trial methodologies into their design and operation.



2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 1068-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Farzandipour ◽  
Ehsan Nabovati ◽  
Reihane Sharif ◽  
Marzieh Arani ◽  
Shima Anvari

Objective The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence regarding the effects of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) for self-management outcomes in patients with asthma and to assess the functionalities of effective interventions. Methods We systematically searched Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included English-language studies that evaluated the effects of smartphone or tablet computer apps on self-management outcomes in asthmatic patients. The characteristics of these studies, effects of interventions, and features of mHealth apps were extracted. Results A total of 10 studies met all the inclusion criteria. Outcomes that were assessed in the included studies were categorized into three groups (clinical, patient-reported, and economic). mHealth apps improved asthma control (five studies) and lung function (two studies) from the clinical outcomes. From the patient-reported outcomes, quality of life (three studies) was statistically significantly improved, while there was no significant impact on self-efficacy scores (two studies). Effects on economic outcomes were equivocal, so that the number of visits (in two studies) and admission and hospitalization-relevant outcomes (in one study) statistically significantly improved; and in four other studies, these outcomes did not improve significantly. mHealth apps features were categorized into seven categories (inform, instruct, record, display, guide, remind/alert, and communicate). Eight of the 10 mHealth apps included more than one functionality. Nearly all interventions had the functionality of recording user-entered data and half of them had the functionality of providing educational information and reminders to patients. Conclusion Multifunctional mHealth apps have good potential in the control of asthma and in improving the quality of life in such patients compared with traditional interventions. Further studies are needed to identify the effectiveness of these interventions on outcomes related to medication adherence and costs.



2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S204-S204 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Alton Croker ◽  
Julie Bobitt ◽  
Kanika Arora ◽  
Brian Kaskie

Abstract The use of cannabis is increasing among older Americans. A growing body of evidence shows cannabis and cannabinoids effective for treating chronic pain, spasticity, nausea, and sleep disturbances. States seeking to respond to the treatment needs of specific patient populations have legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Few instruments offer standard outcomes for understanding the use of medial cannabis from the patient perspective, particularly focusing on older persons. Using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of older persons in Colorado and Illinois, we validate two scales to consistently measure patient-reported health related outcomes of medical cannabis use. We confirmed the validity of two separate, reliable outcome scales: a three-factor scale for measuring global health outcomes and a single-factor scale for capturing adverse health events. The COPS questionnaire revealed strong construct validity and internal consistency, and a lack of meaningful factor variance.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyra Jennifer Waligora Mendez ◽  
Chakra Budhathoki ◽  
Alain Bernard Labrique ◽  
Tatiana Sadak ◽  
Elizabeth K Tanner ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND In the United States, nearly 80% of family caregivers of people with dementia have at least one chronic condition. Dementia caregivers experience high stress and burden that adversely affect their health and self-management. mHealth apps can improve health and self-management among dementia caregivers with a chronic condition. However, mHealth app adoption by dementia caregivers is low, and reasons for this are not well understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to explore factors associated with dementia caregivers’ intention to adopt mHealth apps for chronic disease self-management. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional, correlational study and recruited a convenience sample of dementia caregivers. We created a survey using validated instruments and collected data through computer-assisted telephone interviews and web-based surveys. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we recruited dementia caregivers through community-based strategies, such as attending community events. After nationwide closures due to the pandemic, the team focused on web-based recruitment. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to test the relationships between the independent and dependent variables. RESULTS Our sample of 117 caregivers had an average age of 53 (SD 17.4) years, 16 (SD 3.3) years of education, and 4 (SD 2.5) chronic conditions. The caregivers were predominantly women (92/117, 78.6%) and minorities (63/117, 53.8%), experienced some to extreme income difficulties (64/117, 54.7%), and were the child or child-in-law (53/117, 45.3%) of the person with dementia. In logistic regression models adjusting for the control variables, caregiver burden (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, 95% CI 0.57-2.8; <i>P</i>=.57), time spent caregiving per week (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.77-3.9; <i>P</i>=.18), and burden of chronic disease and treatment (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.91-5.7; <i>P</i>=.08) were not significantly associated with the intention to adopt mHealth apps. In the final multiple logistic regression model, only perceived usefulness (OR 23, 95% CI 5.6-97; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and the interaction term for caregivers’ education and burden of chronic disease and treatment (OR 31, 95% CI 2.2-430; <i>P</i>=.01) were significantly associated with their intention to adopt mHealth apps. Perceived ease of use (OR 2.4, 95% CI 0.67-8.7; <i>P</i>=.18) and social influence (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.58-5.7; <i>P</i>=.31) were not significantly associated with the intention to adopt mHealth apps. CONCLUSIONS When designing mHealth app interventions for dementia caregivers with a chronic condition, it is important to consider caregivers’ perceptions about how well mHealth apps can help their self-management and which app features would be most useful for self-management. Caregiving factors may not be relevant to caregivers’ intention to adopt mHealth apps. This is promising because mHealth strategies may overcome barriers to caregivers’ self-management. Future research should investigate reasons why caregivers with a low education level and low burden of chronic disease and treatment have significantly lower intention to adopt mHealth apps for self-management. CLINICALTRIAL



BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e021900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chatree Chai-Adisaksopha ◽  
Mark W Skinner ◽  
Randall Curtis ◽  
Neil Frick ◽  
Michael B Nichol ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo assess the psychometric properties of the Patient Reported Outcomes, Burdens and Experiences (PROBE) questionnaire.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional, multinational study. Participants were enrolled if they were more than 10 years old and people with haemophilia A or B or people without a bleeding disorder. Participants were invited through non-governmental patient organisations in 21 countries between 01/27/2016 and 02/23/2017. The following psychometric properties: missing data, floor and ceiling effects, exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability were examined. A PROBE Score was derived and assessed for its convergent and known groups validity.ResultsThe study analysed the data on 916 participants with median age of 37.0 (IQR 27.0 to 48.0) years, 74.8% male. In the domain assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs), more than 15% of participants presented a ceiling effect for all items but two, and a floor effect for one item. Factor analysis identified three factors explaining the majority of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient indicated good internal consistency reliability (0.84). PROBE items showed moderate to strong correlations with corresponding EuroQol five dimension 5-level instrument (EQ-5D-5L) domains. The PROBE Score has a strong correlation (r=0.67) with EQ-5D-5L utility index score. The PROBE Score has a known groups validity among various groups.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that PROBE is a valid questionnaire for evaluating PROs in people with haemophilia as well as control population. The known-group property of PROBE will allow its use in future clinical trials, longitudinal studies, health technology assessment studies, routine clinical care or registries. Additional studies are needed to test responsiveness and sensitivity to change.Trial registration numberNCT02439710; Results.



2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E Lunt ◽  
Stephanie Shoop-Worrall ◽  
Nicola Smith ◽  
Gavin Cleary ◽  
Janet McDonagh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Measuring the outcomes that matter to children and young people (CYP) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is a necessary precursor to patient-centred improvements in quality of clinical care. We present a two-centre validation of novel JIA patient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROM and PREM) developed as part of the CAPTURE-JIA project. Methods: CYP with JIA were recruited from paediatric rheumatology clinics, completing the CAPTURE-JIA PROM and PREM, CHAQ and CHU 9D. A subset participated in face-to-face interviews and completed the PROM/PREM one week later. The OMERACT filter was applied and the three domains of validation assessed. Truth assessments included cognitive interviewing, sensitivity analysis and Spearman’s correlations. Discrimination assessments included specificity and reliability testing. Feasibility was assessed using time to form completion and proportion of missing data. Results: Eighty-two CYP and their families were recruited; ten cognitive interviews and fifteen PROM/PREM test/retests were conducted. Truth: CYP and parents understood the PROM/PREM and felt important areas were covered. PROM criteria had high sensitivities (> 70%) against similar items on the CHU 9D, with the exception of fatigue (58%). Correlations between similar PROM and CHU 9D criteria were moderate to very strong (coefficients 0.40–0.82.) Discrimination: high specificities (> 70%) on corresponding PROM and CHU 9D domains. Feasibility: median completion times for PROM sixty seconds (IQR 38–75) and PREM forty-nine seconds (IQR 30–60) respectively. Conclusion: The CAPTURE-JIA PROM and PREM are valid and feasible in UK paediatric rheumatology clinics. Embedding routine collection into clinical care would be a major step towards improving quality of care.



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