SRFP078: Potential barriers for mHealth telemonitoring in primary care of COVID-19 and non COVID cases in assisted living facilities
Lukas Michaelis-Braun; Julia Korel; Quan Nha Hong; Andreas Jerrentrup, MD; Dorothe Balser; Judith Friedrich; Beate Müller, MD; Sebastian Kuhn, MD, Prof. Dr.; Michael Dreher; Gernot Rohde; Claus Franz Prof. Dr. Vogelmeier, MD; Nurlan Dauletbaev, MD, PhD
Context: Mobile (m) Health telemonitoring describes remote patient monitoring (RPM) involving smartphones or tablets, dedicated mobile apps, and portable sensors. This technology is potentially beneficial for primary care of residents of assisted living facilities. Yet the implementation may encounter substantial barriers, including low digital literacy, residents’ lack of smartphones, reliance on support by caregivers, and other factors. Objective: To develop a viable concept for implementation of mHealth telemonitoring in primary care of COVID-19 and non COVID cases in assisted living facilities. Study Design: Mixed methods study. Setting: Primary care, assisted living facility. Population Studied: (i) Residents and (ii) caregivers of assisted living facilities, and (iii) responsible primary care providers. The residents will need to be able to understand and implement the instructions on the use of mHealth devices. Intervention: The residents will be asked to use Bluetooth-connected sensors (pulse oximeter, heart rate variability and blood pressure device, spirometer) on a daily base for two weeks (pilot study) and up to twelve weeks. Due to presumed low digital literacy among the residents, the caregivers will be asked to provide assistance with the use of mHealth devices. For RPM, smartphones will be purchased and distributed as rental units. To ensure the security of patients’ telemonitoring data, a dedicated standalone server has been set up. The rental smartphones will be operated on pretend accounts without direct association with patients’ personal data. The acceptance of mHealth telemonitoring will be evaluated by a mixed methods study, following the Technology Acceptance Model. Expected Results: Participants may experience difficulties learning the new digital technology. The caregivers may not be able to sufficiently support the residents due to routine workload. The primary care providers may find the technology overwhelming and difficult to combine with the usual patient care, not least because of an unclear reimbursement model for RPM in primary care. Conversely, the study, through observation and the mixed methods component, is expected to advance the concept on how to best integrate mHealth telemonitoring into the primary care of residents in assisted living facilities. Expected Outcomes: Identification of the barriers to mHealth telemonitoring will facilitate its integration into primary care of residents in assisted living facilities
Jack Westfall
jwestfall@aafp.org 11/21/2021This is a very important topic and research study. Nice work. Thanks