Developing Mobile Apps for Stroke Survivors and Their Caregivers
|
If you are the presenter of this abstract (or if you cite this abstract in a talk or on a poster), please show the QR code in your slide or poster (QR code contains this URL). |
Abstract
Background: The goal of our research is to find ways that mobile technology can facilitate the recovery of stroke patients. We began with a literature review that revealed an unmet need for mobile applications that enhance patients’ ability to actively participate in the management of their own health. We found no evidence of apps developed specifically for stroke survivors.
Objectives: Our objectives for the first phase of our research were to:
1. Investigate attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of stroke survivors and caregivers concerning mobile technology for health; and
2. Determine if there are differences based on gender, age, race, and ethnicity in attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of stroke survivors and caregivers concerning mobile technology for health.
Methods:
The first phase of our research began with a series of 12 focus groups and individual interviews in Brooklyn, New York and Denver, Colorado with stroke survivors and individuals who serve as caregivers to stroke survivors. We used purposive sampling to recruit English-speaking research participants from three racial/ethnic groups: Hispanic; Caucasian; and Afro-Caribbean and African American. Separate groups and interviews were conducted for stroke survivors and caregivers, and for those with previous experience using mobile apps and those with no apps experience. The results of these qualitative data were then used to develop a quantitative study instrument for a national survey of stroke survivors and caregivers, drawn from a database maintained by the National Stroke Association.
Results:
Our poster presentation will give analyses of results of the qualitative research. Examples of practical implications of the findings are:
Perceived needs:
Connecting with others in their situation was a common theme. “Give us something to help us fit in:†Stroke survivors who had not yet used mobile apps reported that they did not want to be left out of society and that they were embarrassed to be unknowledgeable. One recent stroke survivor suggested a “stroke buddy in the neighborhood app†where you find and meet up with stroke survivors living near you.
Perceived difficulties:
“I’d use an app if I had someone to teach me,†was a comment that resonated with stroke survivors in one focus group. Caregivers and stroke survivors alike pointed to a need for someone to show them how to download and use mobile apps; the experience needs to be “more user friendly to get started.†Caregivers and stroke survivors suggested that their “doctor’s office†would be the place where hands-on assistance in learning how to use a mobile app for personal health could be provided.
Previous experience using apps of any kind made a big difference in interest expressed in stroke-specific apps. Stroke survivors with apps experience described exactly what they wanted an app to do: e.g., be of help in the process of recovery from aphasia. Stroke survivors with no apps experience, though less specific, were still open to learning ways mobile apps could help them. Caregivers in focus groups with no apps experience, however, also had less interest in the potential of mobile apps; some caregivers who expressed their valuing of hands-on care considered the idea of mobile apps to be an intrusion into their caregiving.
These and other findings will be described in our poster presentation.
Conclusion:
The qualitative research findings informed the development of the national survey that is being fielded in November 2013; results of both the focus groups and survey will be used to develop a mobile application with two panels, one with functions serving stroke survivors and one for caregivers, to try out in the second phase of our research in 2014.
Objectives: Our objectives for the first phase of our research were to:
1. Investigate attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of stroke survivors and caregivers concerning mobile technology for health; and
2. Determine if there are differences based on gender, age, race, and ethnicity in attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of stroke survivors and caregivers concerning mobile technology for health.
Methods:
The first phase of our research began with a series of 12 focus groups and individual interviews in Brooklyn, New York and Denver, Colorado with stroke survivors and individuals who serve as caregivers to stroke survivors. We used purposive sampling to recruit English-speaking research participants from three racial/ethnic groups: Hispanic; Caucasian; and Afro-Caribbean and African American. Separate groups and interviews were conducted for stroke survivors and caregivers, and for those with previous experience using mobile apps and those with no apps experience. The results of these qualitative data were then used to develop a quantitative study instrument for a national survey of stroke survivors and caregivers, drawn from a database maintained by the National Stroke Association.
Results:
Our poster presentation will give analyses of results of the qualitative research. Examples of practical implications of the findings are:
Perceived needs:
Connecting with others in their situation was a common theme. “Give us something to help us fit in:†Stroke survivors who had not yet used mobile apps reported that they did not want to be left out of society and that they were embarrassed to be unknowledgeable. One recent stroke survivor suggested a “stroke buddy in the neighborhood app†where you find and meet up with stroke survivors living near you.
Perceived difficulties:
“I’d use an app if I had someone to teach me,†was a comment that resonated with stroke survivors in one focus group. Caregivers and stroke survivors alike pointed to a need for someone to show them how to download and use mobile apps; the experience needs to be “more user friendly to get started.†Caregivers and stroke survivors suggested that their “doctor’s office†would be the place where hands-on assistance in learning how to use a mobile app for personal health could be provided.
Previous experience using apps of any kind made a big difference in interest expressed in stroke-specific apps. Stroke survivors with apps experience described exactly what they wanted an app to do: e.g., be of help in the process of recovery from aphasia. Stroke survivors with no apps experience, though less specific, were still open to learning ways mobile apps could help them. Caregivers in focus groups with no apps experience, however, also had less interest in the potential of mobile apps; some caregivers who expressed their valuing of hands-on care considered the idea of mobile apps to be an intrusion into their caregiving.
These and other findings will be described in our poster presentation.
Conclusion:
The qualitative research findings informed the development of the national survey that is being fielded in November 2013; results of both the focus groups and survey will be used to develop a mobile application with two panels, one with functions serving stroke survivors and one for caregivers, to try out in the second phase of our research in 2014.
Medicine 2.0® is happy to support and promote other conferences and workshops in this area. Contact us to produce, disseminate and promote your conference or workshop under this label and in this event series. In addition, we are always looking for hosts of future World Congresses. Medicine 2.0® is a registered trademark of JMIR Publications Inc., the leading academic ehealth publisher.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.