Mobile Health Tools Should Be Better Tailored To Meet Patient Needs

Mobile health devices must be designed to meet specific patient needs to improve user engagement, particularly among those with chronic illnesses, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, FierceMobileHealthcare reports (Mottl, FierceMobileHealthcare, 1/24).

Study Details

For the study, researchers from Duke University sought to determine whether patients will consistently use multiple devices to report on their health and if the presence of a chronic condition affects adherence (Shaw et al., JAMIA, 1/17). The researchers asked patients who were considered healthy and those with chronic conditions to use four devices and a mobile diet application to report on 11 health indicators.

Study Findings

The study found that patients who were healthy consistently used the tools an average of 76% in one week, compared with 16% among those with chronic illnesses.

The researchers largely attributed the lack of adherence to device fatigue and noted that devices should be designed to meet the specific needs of patients.

They wrote, "Despite the excitement about the potential for these devices to improve health, their successful adoption by consumers and patients for routine self-monitoring remains uncertain" (FierceMobileHealthcare, 1/24).

Source: iHealthBeat, Tuesday, January 26, 2016

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