Use of a mobile health application by adult non-congenital cardiac surgery patients: A feasibility study

Abstract

Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies are becoming integral to our healthcare system. This study evaluated the feasibility (compliance, usability and user satisfaction) of a mHealth application (app) for delivering Enhanced Recovery Protocols (ERPs) information to Cardiac Surgery (CS) patients peri-operatively. This single centre, prospective cohort study involved patients undergoing CS. Patients received a mHealth app developed for the study at consent and for 6–8 weeks post-surgery. Patients completed system usability, patient satisfaction and quality of life surveys pre- and post-surgery. A total of 65 patients participated in the study (mean age of 64 years). The app achieved an overall utilization rate of 75% (68% vs 81% for 65 and <65 years respectively) in the post-surgery survey. MHealth technology is feasible for peri-operative CS patient education, including older adult patients. The majority of patients were satisfied with the app and would recommend using it over the use of printed materials. Author summary Recently, mobile Health (mHealth) technologies have been utilized in healthcare as a novel medium to the delivery of patient knowledge sharing in the peri-operative phases of care. Given the old age of most cardiac surgery patient, several concerns have been raised regarding the usability of mHealth in this patient population due to technical difficulties or lack of interest in technology uptake. Thus, we sought to assess the feasibility of an mHealth to deliver patient education to this group. We found that overall cardiac surgery patients had a good uptake of the new technology, with only 5% attrition rate due to technical difficulties. The majority of enrolled participants reported high satisfaction with the app and rated the app highly in terms of its usability. The content of the app was also developed by the CS team based on evidence-based ERPs that were customized to the local clinical setting. Participant’s confidence in using the app without assistance contributed to the high adherence rate with app use. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of mHealth technology for peri-operative patient education in CS patient population.