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Background: The use of health-related mobile apps has become an important component of healthcare. Patients can use a range of tools to strengthen their health literacy and promote disease management. The aim of the project was to develop a web-based application for use on smartphones, tablets and computers for patients with cardiovascular diseases (cardio-app). Methods: A semi-standardized written survey was conducted among rehabilitation patients with cardiovascular diseases (n = 158). The usability of the cardio-app was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The usage behaviour was conducted with a self-developed questionnaire. Results: The study enrolled 158 eligible rehabilitation patients. The SUS of the cardio-app determined was 74.4 (SD ± 17.4). For 86%, the menu navigation was self-explanatory and logical. The visual presentation appealed to 92% of respondents. The content of the texts used in the app was understandable for 95%, and 93% found the technical terms used in the glossary well explained. For 57%, the app was helpful in planning their physical activities. 83% of the rehabilitation patients would recommend the app to others. The main criticisms of the app were the lack of synchronization options with other apps. Of those who did not use the app, the following reasons for non-use were most frequently cited: too much effort (43%), lack of time (29%) and pandemic-related reasons (29%). Conclusions: The cardio-app revealed high agreement values. Whether the use of the app is associated with improved clinical state and outcome would have to be verified in further studies.
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An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
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BACKGROUND: Patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are treated over a long period of time by physicians and therapists from various institutions collaborating within a multidisciplinary team. Usually, medical records detailing the diagnoses and treatment regimens are long and extensive. Brief overviews of relevant diagnostic and treatment data in the form of a patient passport are currently missing in routine care for patients with CVD. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a patient passport (the Kardio-Pass) based on the needs of patients who had undergone cardiac rehabilitation, and of healthcare professionals. METHODS: A mixed method design was adopted consisting of an explorative qualitative phase followed by a quantitative evaluation phase. Interviews with patients and experts were conducted to develop the Kardio-Pass. CVD rehabilitees (N = 150) were asked to evaluate the passport using a semi-standardized written questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients and experts who were interviewed in the qualitative study phase considered the following passport contents to be particularly important: documentation of findings and diagnoses, cardiac diagnostics and intervention, medication plan, risk factors for heart disease, signs of a heart attack and what to do in an emergency. During the evaluation phase, 93 rehabilitees (response rate: 62%) completed the questionnaire. The Kardio-Pass achieved high overall approval: All respondents considered the information contained in the passport to be trustworthy. The professionalism and the design of the passport were rated very highly by 93 and 92% of participants, respectively. Use of the Kardio-Pass prompted 53% of participants to regularly attend follow-up appointments. The most common reasons for non-use were a lack of support from the attending doctor, failure by the patient to make entries in the passport, and loss of the passport. CONCLUSIONS: By documenting the course of cardiac diseases, the patient passport pools all medical data-from diagnosis to treatment and aftercare-in a concise manner. Rehabilitees who used the cardiac passport rated it as a helpful tool for documenting follow-up data. However, with regard to this explorative study there is a need for further research, particularly on whether the patient passport can improve heart patient care.