Keywords

feasibility study, heart failure, mHealth, mobile health, self-management

 

Authors

  1. Schmaderer, Myra S. PhD, MSN, RN
  2. Struwe, Leeza PhD, MSN, RN
  3. Loecker, Courtney APRN-NP, AGACNP-BC, MSN
  4. Lier, Lauren DNP, AGACNP-BC, RN
  5. Lundgren, Scott W. DO
  6. Pozehl, Bunny PhD, APRN-NP, FHFSA, FAHA, FAAN
  7. Zimmerman, Lani PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) is used to encourage and support self-management skills in patients with heart failure. The purpose of the study was to describe the feasibility, fidelity, usability, and acceptability of mHealth interventions. This pilot study used a randomized 3-group (enhanced usual care, mHealth, and mHealth plus, which included a nurse practitioner and community health worker) repeated-measure design to determine the feasibility of using a self-management behavior app and a Bluetooth-enabled scale for daily self-monitoring of weights and medications. In the 2 mHealth groups, of the 48 patients, 38 (79%) engaged partially in recording daily weights and medications, and of the 74 patients in the sample, we obtained partial to complete data on 63 (85%) of the patients during follow-up outcome phone calls. Most patients found the intervention to be feasible, usable, and acceptable, and (93%) patients in the mHealth group and 100% of patients in the mHealth plus group agreed or strongly agreed that they learned how to self-manage their heart failure using the app. The intervention was reasonable to implement and provided insight for future intervention improvements.