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A randomized control trial feasibility evaluation of an mHealth intervention for wheelchair skill training among middle-aged and older adults.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Providing mobility skills training to manual wheelchair (MWC) users can have a positive impact on community participation, confidence and quality of life. Often such training is restricted or not provided at all because of the expense of, and limited access to, occupational and physical therapists before and after discharge. This is particularly true among middle-aged and older adults, who often have limited access to rehabilitation services and require more time to learn motor skills. A monitored MWC skills training home program, delivered using a computer tablet (mHealth), was developed as an alternative approach to service delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing this mHealth MWC skills training program among middle-aged and older adults. METHODS:A 2 × 2 factorial design randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to compare the mHealth intervention and control groups, with additional wheeling time as a second factor. Community-dwelling MWC users aged 55 and older, who had used their MWC for less than two years and propelled with two hands, were recruited. Feasibility outcomes related to process, resources, management and treatment criteria were collected. RESULTS:Eighteen participants were recruited, with a retention rate of 94%. Mean (±SD) duration for the first and second in-person training sessions were 90.1 ± 20.5 and 62.1 ± 5.5 min, respectively. In the treatment group, 78% achieved the minimum amount of home training (i.e., 300 min) over four weeks and 56% achieved the preferred training threshold (i.e., 600 min). Trainers reported only seven minor protocol deviations. No tablets were lost or damaged and there was one incident of tablet malfunction. No injuries or adverse incidents were reported during data collection or training activities. Participants indicated 98% agreement on the post-treatment benefit questionnaire. DISCUSSION:Overall, the study protocol enabled implementation of the intervention in a safe, efficient and acceptable manner. Participant recruitment proved to be challenging, particularly gaining access to individuals who might benefit. Resource issue demands were acceptable for administration of the intervention; data collection was more time-consuming than anticipated but could be reduced with minor revisions. Participant retention and home program treatment adherence was high; both participant and trainer burden was acceptable. Treatment group participants reported a positive experience and clinical benefits from training program. The findings suggest a full-scale RCT evaluating the clinical impact of the Enhancing Participation In the Community by improving Wheelchair Skills (EPIC Wheels) intervention is warranted, provided the recruitment issues are addressed through collaborative partnerships and active recruitment strategies.

SUBMITTER: Giesbrecht EM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5632536 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A randomized control trial feasibility evaluation of an <i>m</i>Health intervention for wheelchair skill training among middle-aged and older adults.

Giesbrecht Edward M EM Miller William C WC

PeerJ 20171005

<h4>Background</h4>Providing mobility skills training to manual wheelchair (MWC) users can have a positive impact on community participation, confidence and quality of life. Often such training is restricted or not provided at all because of the expense of, and limited access to, occupational and physical therapists before and after discharge. This is particularly true among middle-aged and older adults, who often have limited access to rehabilitation services and require more time to learn moto ...[more]

PMID: 29018615

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Project description:BackgroundDigital mental health interventions may help middle-aged and older adults with depression overcome barriers to accessing traditional care, but few studies have investigated their use in this population.ObjectiveThis pilot study examines the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of the Meru Health Program, an 8-week mobile app-delivered intervention.MethodsA total of 20 community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults (age: mean 61.7 years, SD 11.3) with elevated depressive symptoms participated in a single-arm pilot study investigating the Meru Health Program, an app-delivered intervention supported by remote therapists. The program primarily uses mindfulness and cognitive behavioral skills to target depressive symptoms. A semistructured interview was completed at the baseline to establish current psychiatric diagnoses. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) depression measures. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and the PROMIS Anxiety measure. User experience and acceptability were examined through surveys and qualitative interviews.ResultsIn total, 90% (18/20) of the participants completed the program, with 75% (15/20) completing at least 7 of the 8 introductory weekly lessons. On average, participants completed 60 minutes of practice and exchanged 5 messages with their therapists every week. The app was rated as helpful by 89% (17/19) participants. Significant decreases in depressive (P=.03) and anxiety symptom measures (P=.01) were found; 45% (9/20) of participants showed clinically significant improvement in either depressive symptoms or anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the commercially available Meru Health Program may be feasible, acceptable, and potentially beneficial to middle-aged and older adults. Although larger controlled trials are needed to demonstrate efficacy, these findings suggest that digital health interventions may benefit adults of all ages.

Project description:Most training programs for self-management of chronic diseases in Korea currently involve face-to-face interactions primarily in a health care setting. Therefore, older Koreans living in the community continue to seek other training opportunities for the management of chronic diseases. This has led to the development of new training methods, such as mobile health (mHealth) care, which are valuable in community centers and homes.This feasibility study (1) developed an mHealth training protocol to empower community-dwelling elderly individuals to manage their chronic diseases; (2) examined the feasibility of delivering this mHealth training protocol to elderly individuals through mobile tablets and applications (apps); and (3) discussed the contextual and methodological challenges associated with the development of this protocol.The mHealth training protocol was developed based on the eHealth Enhanced Chronic Care Model and comprised of four phases. Phase 1 included standardized technology (mobile tablets) training using guidebooks, demonstrations, and guided practice. Phase 2 included provision of standardized information about disease management that was obtained from governmental and professional health care organizations. Phase 3 included provision of training on the use of high-quality mHealth apps that were selected based on individual diagnoses. Phase 4 included encouraging the patients to practice using self-selected mHealth apps based on their individual needs. Quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative content analyses of user evaluations were used to assess the feasibility and user acceptance of this protocol.Of the 27 older adults included in this study, 25 completed all 4 weeks of the mHealth training. The attrition rate was 7% (2/27), and the reasons included time conflicts, emotional distress, and/or family discouragement. The men required little or no training for Phase 1, and in comparison with men, women seemed to depend more on the mHealth trainers in Phase 3. Gender, level of education, and previous experience of using smartphones were associated with the speed of learning, level of confidence, and overall competence.A tailored and personalized approach is required to develop mHealth training protocols for older adults. Self-management of chronic diseases via mHealth training requires careful consideration of the complex nature of human behavior, emotional responses, and familial influences. Therefore, integration of a theoretical, clinical, and technical approach is necessary for the successful development and implementation of an mHealth training program that targets older adults with chronic diseases in a community setting.

Project description:BackgroundSwallowing difficulties (ie, dysphagia) are common among older adults, with a 13% to 54% prevalence. Adequate interventions to improve the swallowing function of older adults would reduce morbidity and enhance health-related quality of life outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may help alleviate dysphagia symptoms by providing programs that maximize the intensity and frequency of training without requiring high costs or regular clinic visits.ObjectiveThe aim of this pilot study was to assess the usability of swallowing training apps by quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating older adults' self-reported data, taking into consideration their educational levels and exposure to mobile technology. We conducted surveys and brief interviews while the participants used a swallowing intervention app we developed. We subsequently identified and resolved individual-specific usability issues to improve future implementation of the app protocol for older persons with swallowing difficulties.MethodsA total of 11 participants (10 women, 91%; mean age 75.7 years, SD 3.93) from two district-run senior welfare centers took part in this study. The participants were divided into a high-potential group and a low-potential group based on their total number of years of education and smart device usage. To investigate the usability of the app twice (ie, in the second week of the intervention and the postintervention stage), we used mixed methods consisting of both quantitative approaches, namely the System Usability Scale (SUS) and modified Computer Self-Efficacy Scale (mCSES) surveys, and qualitative approaches (ie, interviews).ResultsThe quantitative results of the SUS and mCSES surveys revealed that the high-potential group was more inclined to adopt and learn new technology than the low-potential group. Specifically, within the high-potential group, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the postintervention mCSES scores (median 65.50) were significantly higher than those in the second week of intervention (median 54.00; z=-2.023, P=.04). Additionally, the usability scores in the low-potential group were within the "marginal acceptability" range even after completion of an 8-week intervention program. Qualitative analyses via semi-structured interviews yielded promising outcomes regarding app acceptability, training program utilization, emotional responses, and learning experience.ConclusionsTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this usability and feasibility study is the first report of a swallowing training app designed to improve the swallowing function of older adults. Future research should consider several issues, such as user characteristics, pretraining education, and the intensity and innate characteristics of the intervention program.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Wearable activity trackers offer potential to optimize behavior and support self-management. To assist older adults in benefiting from mobile technologies, theory-driven deployment strategies are needed to overcome personal, technological, and sociocontextual barriers in technology adoption. OBJECTIVE:To test the effectiveness of a social group-based strategy to improve the acceptability and adoption of activity trackers by middle-aged and older adults. METHODS:A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 13 groups of middle-aged and older adults (?45 years) performing group dancing (ie, square dancing) as a form of exercise in Guangzhou from November 2017 to October 2018. These dancing groups were randomized 1:1 into two arms, and both received wrist-worn activity trackers and instructions at the baseline face-to-face assessment. Based on the Information-Motivation-Behavior Skill framework, the intervention arm was also given a tutorial on the purpose of exercise monitoring (Information), encouraged to participate in exercise and share their exercise records with their dancing peers (Motivation), and were further assisted with the use of the activity tracker (Behavior Skill). We examined two process outcomes: acceptability evaluated by a 14-item questionnaire, and adoption assessed by the uploaded step count data. Intention-to-treat analysis was applied, with the treatment effects estimated by multilevel models. RESULTS:All dancing groups were followed up for the postintervention reassessment, with 61/69 (88%) participants of the intervention arm (7 groups) and 56/80 (70%) participants of the control arm (6 groups). Participants' sociodemographic characteristics (mean age 62 years, retired) and health status were comparable between the two arms, except the intervention arm had fewer female participants and lower cognitive test scores. Our intervention significantly increased the participants' overall acceptability by 6.8 points (95% CI 2.2-11.4), mainly driven by promoted motivation (adjusted group difference 2.0, 95% CI 0.5-3.6), increased usefulness (adjusted group difference 2.5, 95% CI 0.9-4.1), and better perceived ease of use (adjusted group difference 1.2, 95% CI 0.1-2.4), whereas enjoyment and comfort were not increased (adjusted group difference 0.9, 95% CI -0.4-2.3). Higher adoption was also observed among participants in the intervention arm, who were twice as likely to have valid daily step account data than their controlled counterparts (adjusted incidence relative risk [IRR]=2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3). The average daily step counts (7803 vs 5653 steps/day for the intervention and control, respectively) were similar between the two arms (adjusted IRR=1.4, 95% CI 0.7-2.5). CONCLUSIONS:Our social group-based deployment strategy incorporating information, motivation, and behavior skill components effectively promoted acceptability and adoption of activity trackers among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. Future studies are needed to examine the long-term effectiveness and apply this social engagement strategy in other group settings or meeting places. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-IOC-17013185; https://tinyurl.com/vedwc7h.

Dataset Information

A randomized control trial feasibility evaluation of an mHealth intervention for wheelchair skill training among middle-aged and older adults.

Publications

A randomized control trial feasibility evaluation of an <i>m</i>Health intervention for wheelchair skill training among middle-aged and older adults.

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