Ponrathi Athilingam
University of South Florida, USA
Title: HeartMApp: A technology-based intervention for telemonitoring support to improve heart failure outcomes
Biography
Biography: Ponrathi Athilingam
Abstract
Mobile technology has become an indispensable component of the current hyper-connected world population. Therefore, we developed a user-friendly mobile application (HeartMApp), using the Information, Motivation, Behavioral skills model (IMB) as its theoretical foundation and patient engagement as the key mediator. Heart failure (HF) is a significant public health problem affecting 5.7 million Americans, predominantly older adults. Patients with HF are required to engage in complex self-management behaviors including daily weighing, assessing HF symptoms, adhering to complex medication regimens, consuming a low-salt diet, participating in physical activity, and responding to symptoms appropriately. Lack of resources, support, and motivation can lead to poor self-management, which contributes to the high rate (25%) 30-day HF readmissions nationwide. Unfortunately, currently available interventions to improve HF self-management have demonstrated no sustained benefits. HeartMapp is an easy to use non-pharmacological, non-invasive application developed with five main features: 1) assessment of daily weight, blood pressure, and HF symptoms; 2) exercise including physical activity (walking) and deep breathing; 3) real-time vital signs monitoring using the wearable Bluetooth device; 4) HF information that includes evidence-based, audio-enabled, interactive HF education; and 5) Stats include a graphic module displaying patient performance trends. HeartMapp uses Bluetooth sensors and wireless networks that consist of an Android application, tested on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 running the Android 4.4.0 platform. For researchers and health care providers, HeartMapp provides an unobtrusive way to collect real-time ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data on individual performance from patients’ responses indicating their engagement in daily HF self-management.
