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Using Targeted mHealth Messages to Address Hypertension and Diabetes Self-Management in Cambodia: Protocol for a Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Hypertension and diabetes represent the first and third highest contributors to global disability. While mobile health (mHealth) messaging programs have rapidly increased in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), adaptations for specific patient health needs is a new approach to manage chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE:The primary aim of this study is to develop and test an mHealth communication intervention using electronic data capture (by tablet) and voice messaging to improve hypertension and diabetes self-management in Cambodia. The secondary aim is to share results with the Cambodian Ministry of Health and development partners to inform health policy and develop strategies for hypertension and diabetes control. METHODS:The study design is a cluster randomized controlled clinical trial randomizing each of 75 Community peer educators (PEs), trained and coordinated by MoPoTsyo Patient Information Center in Phnom Penh, into one of 3 groups of 25 (approximately 60 patients each) to receive either tablet+messages, tablet only, or no intervention (control). The total sample within each group includes 25 clusters and approximately 1500 patients located in 7 Operational Districts in rural regions or urban slums in Cambodia. The interventions (groups 1 and 2) were compared with usual PE monitoring without the tablet or mHealth messaging interventions. Focus groups and informant interviews were conducted to develop messages according to specific themes-medications adherence, laboratory testing, physician visits, obesity, smoking, and general lifestyle issues. Using the data received at monthly PE monitoring meetings, patients will receive specific messages based on their individual health challenges. Following the intervention completion, clinical and process outcomes will be compared with baseline metrics between groups. RESULTS:PEs were randomized in July 2017, and the intervention was implemented in September 2017 through June 2018. Analyses are underway. CONCLUSIONS:This project is unique in its combination of electronic data transfer, which can be accessed immediately, with voice messages most relevant to individual patients' needs. Positive results will indicate the value of using targeted messaging in patient-specific, self-management issues to improve hypertension and diabetes control. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID):DERR1-10.2196/11614.

SUBMITTER: Fitzpatrick AL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6447150 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Patients with diabetes and poorly controlled hypertension are at increased risk for adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes. Identifying these patients early and addressing modifiable risk factors is central to delaying renal complications such as diabetic kidney disease. Mobile health (mHealth), a relatively inexpensive and easily scalable technology, can facilitate patient-centered care and promote engagement in self-management, particularly for patients of lower socioeconomic status. Thus, mHealth may be a cost-effective way to deliver self-management education and support. OBJECTIVE:This feasibility study aimed to build a population management program by identifying patients with diabetes and poorly controlled hypertension who were at risk for adverse renal outcomes and evaluate a multifactorial intervention to address medication self-management. We recruited patients from a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in an underserved, diverse county in the southeastern United States. METHODS:Patients were identified via electronic health record. Inclusion criteria were age between 18 and 75 years, diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, poorly controlled hypertension over the last 12 months (mean clinic systolic blood pressure [SBP] ?140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure [DBP] ?90 mm Hg), access to a mobile phone, and ability to receive text messages and emails. The intervention consisted of monthly telephone calls for 6 months by a case manager and weekly, one-way informational text messages. Engagement was defined as the number of phone calls completed during the intervention; individuals who completed 4 or more calls were considered engaged. The primary outcome was change in SBP at the conclusion of the intervention. RESULTS:Of the 141 patients enrolled, 84.0% (118/141) of patients completed 1 or more phone calls and had follow-up SBP measurements for analysis. These patients were on average 56.9 years of age, predominately female (73/118, 61.9%), and nonwhite by self-report (103/118, 87.3%). The proportion of participants with poor baseline SBP control (50/118, 42.4%) did not change significantly at study completion (53/118, 44.9%) (P=.64). Participants who completed 4 or more phone calls (98/118, 83.1%) did not experience a statistically significant decrease in SBP when compared to those who completed fewer calls. CONCLUSION:We did not reduce uncontrolled hypertension even among the more highly engaged. However, 83% of a predominately minority and low-income population completed at least 67% of the multimodal mHealth intervention. Findings suggest that combining an automated electronic health record system to identify at-risk patients with a tailored mHealth protocol can provide education to this population. While this intervention was insufficient to effect behavioral change resulting in better hypertension control, it does suggest that this FQHC population will engage in low-cost population health applications with a potentially promising impact. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02418091; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02418091 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/76RBvacVU).

Project description:BackgroundPeople with diabetes find it difficult to sustain adequate self-management behaviour. Self-Management Support strategies, including the use of mobile technology, have shown potential benefit. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a mobile phone support intervention on top of an existing strategy in three countries, DR Congo, Cambodia and the Philippines to improve health outcomes, access to care and enablement of people with diabetes, with 480 people with diabetes in each country who are randomised to either standard support or to the intervention.Design/methodsThe study consists of three sub-studies with a similar design in three countries to be independently implemented and analysed. The design is a two-arm Randomised Controlled Trial, in which a total of 480 adults with diabetes participating in an existing DSME programme will be randomly allocated to either usual care in the existing programme or to usual care plus a mobile phone self-management support intervention. Participants in both arms complete assessments at baseline, one year and two years after inclusion.Glycosylated haemoglobin blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference will be measured. Individual interviews will be conducted to determine the patients' assessment of chronic illness care, degree of self-enablement, and access to care before implementation of the intervention, at intermediate moments and at the end of the study.Analyses of quantitative data including assessment of differences in changes in outcomes between the intervention and usual care group will be done. A probability of <0.05 is considered statistically significant. Outcome indicators will be plotted over time. All data are analysed for confounding and interaction in multivariate regression analyses taking potential clustering effects into account.Differences in outcome measures will be analysed per country and realistic evaluation to assess processes and context factors that influence implementation in order to understand why it works, for whom, under which circumstances. A costing study will be performed.DiscussionThe intervention addresses the problem that the greater part of diabetes management takes place without external support and that many challenges, unforeseen problems and questions occur at moments in between scheduled contacts with the support system, by exploiting communication technology.Trial registrationISRCTN86247213.

Project description:BackgroundEngagement is essential for the effectiveness of digital behavior change interventions. Existing systematic reviews examining hypertension self-management interventions via mobile apps have primarily focused on intervention efficacy and app usability. Engagement in the prevention or management of hypertension is largely unknown.ObjectiveThis systematic review explores the definition and role of engagement in hypertension-focused mobile health (mHealth) interventions, as well as how determinants of engagement (ie, tailoring and interactivity) have been implemented.MethodsA systematic review of mobile app interventions for hypertension self-management targeting adults, published from 2013 to 2020, was conducted. A total of 21 studies were included in this systematic review.ResultsThe engagement was defined or operationalized as a microlevel concept, operationalized as interaction with the interventions (ie, frequency of engagement, time or duration of engagement with the program, and intensity of engagement). For all 3 studies that tested the relationship, increased engagement was associated with better biomedical outcomes (eg, blood pressure change). Interactivity was limited in digital behavior change interventions, as only 7 studies provided 2-way communication between users and a health care professional, and 9 studies provided 1-way communication in possible critical conditions; that is, when abnormal blood pressure values were recorded, users or health care professionals were notified. The tailoring of interventions varied at different aspects, from the tailoring of intervention content (including goals, patient education, advice and feedback from health professionals, reminders, and motivational messages) to the tailoring of intervention dose and communication mode. Tailoring was carried out in a number of ways, considering patient characteristics such as goals, preferences, disease characteristics (eg, hypertension stage and medication list), disease self-management experience levels, medication adherence rate, and values and beliefs.ConclusionsAvailable studies support the importance of engagement in intervention effectiveness as well as the essential roles of patient factors in tailoring, interactivity, and engagement. A patient-centered engagement framework for hypertension self-management using mHealth technology is proposed here, with the intent of facilitating intervention design and disease self-management using mHealth technology.

Project description:BackgroundHypertension affects over 15% of the world's population and is a significant global public health and socioeconomic challenge. Mobile health (mHealth) services have been increasingly introduced to support hypertensive patients to improve their self-management behaviors, such as adherence to pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore patients' perceptions of mHealth services and the mechanisms by which the services support them to self-manage their hypertension.MethodsA semistructured, in-depth interview study was conducted with 22 outpatients of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from March to May 2019. In 2015, the hospital introduced an mHealth service to support community-dwelling outpatients with self-management of hypertension. Content analysis was conducted by following a grounded theory approach for inductive thematic extraction. Constant comparison and categorization classified the first-level codes with similar meanings into higher-level themes.ResultsThe patient-perceived mechanisms by which the mHealth service supported their self-management of hypertension were summarized as 6A: access, assessment, assistance, awareness, ability, and activation. With the portability of mobile phones and digitization of information, the mHealth service provided outpatients with easy access to assess their vital signs and self-management behaviors. The assessment results gave the patients real-time awareness of their health conditions and self-management performance, which activated their self-management behaviors. The mHealth service also gave outpatients access to assistance, which included health education and self-management reminders. Both types of assistance could also be activated by abnormal assessment results, that is, uncontrolled or deteriorating blood pressure values, discomfort symptoms, or not using the service for a long period. With its scalable use to handle any possible information and services, the mHealth service provided outpatients with educational materials to learn at their own pace. This led to an improvement in self-management awareness and ability, again activating their self-management behaviors. The patients would like to see further improvements in the service to provide more useful, personalized information and reliable services.ConclusionsThe mHealth service extended the traditional hypertension care model beyond the hospital and clinician's office. It provided outpatients with easy access to otherwise inaccessible hypertension management services. This led to process improvement for outpatients to access health assessment and health care assistance and improved their awareness and self-management ability, which activated their hypertension self-management behaviors. Future studies can apply the 6A framework to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of mHealth services for outpatients to self-manage chronic conditions.

Project description:BackgroundMost 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.ObjectiveThis 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.MethodsThe 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.ResultsOf 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.ConclusionsA 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:BackgroundAfrican American individuals are at a higher risk of premature death from cardiovascular diseases than White American individuals, with disproportionate attributable risk from uncontrolled hypertension. Given their high use among African American individuals, mobile technologies, including smartphones, show promise in increasing reliable health information access. Culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) interventions may promote hypertension self-management among this population.ObjectiveThis formative study aimed to assess the feasibility of integrating an innovative mHealth intervention into clinical and community settings to improve blood pressure (BP) control among African American patients.MethodsA mixed methods study of African American patients with uncontrolled hypertension was conducted over 2 consecutive phases. In phase 1, patients and clinicians from 2 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in the Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota area, provided input through focus groups to refine an existing culturally tailored mHealth app (Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health! [FAITH!] App) for promoting hypertension self-management among African American patients with uncontrolled hypertension (renamed as FAITH! Hypertension App). Phase 2 was a single-arm pre-post intervention pilot study assessing feasibility and patient satisfaction. Patients receiving care at an FQHC participated in a 10-week intervention using the FAITH! Hypertension App synchronized with a wireless BP monitor and community health worker (CHW) support to address social determinants of health-related social needs. The multimedia app consisted of a 10-module educational series focused on hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors with interactive self-assessments, medication and BP self-monitoring, and social networking. Primary outcomes were feasibility (app engagement and satisfaction) and preliminary efficacy (change in BP) at an immediate postintervention assessment.ResultsIn phase 1, thirteen African American patients (n=9, 69% aged ≥50 years and n=10, 77% women) and 16 clinicians (n=11, 69% aged ≥50 years; n=14, 88% women; and n=10, 63% African American) participated in focus groups. Their feedback informed app modifications, including the addition of BP and medication tracking, BP self-care task reminders, and culturally sensitive contexts. In phase 2, sixteen African American patients were enrolled (mean age 52.6, SD 12.3 years; 12/16, 75% women). Overall, 38% (6/16) completed ≥50% of the 10 education modules, and 44% (7/16) completed the postintervention assessment. These patients rated the intervention a 9 (out of 10) on its helpfulness in hypertension self-management. Qualitative data revealed that they viewed the app as user-friendly, engaging, and informative, and CHWs were perceived as providing accountability and support. The mean systolic and diastolic BPs of the 7 patients decreased by 6.5 mm Hg (P=.15) and 2.8 mm Hg (P=.78), respectively, at the immediate postintervention assessment.ConclusionsA culturally tailored mHealth app reinforced by CHW support may improve hypertension self-management among underresourced African American individuals receiving care at FQHCs. A future randomized efficacy trial of this intervention is warranted.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04554147; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04554147.

Project description:BackgroundDespite the plethora of evidence on mHealth interventions for patient education, there is a lack of information regarding their structures and delivery strategies.ObjectiveThis review aimed to investigate the structures and strategies of patient education programs delivered through smartphone apps for people with diverse conditions and illnesses. We also examined the aim of educational interventions in terms of health promotion, disease prevention, and illness management.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed papers that reported patient educational interventions using mobile apps and published from 2006 to 2016. We explored various determinants of educational interventions, including the content, mode of delivery, interactivity with health care providers, theoretical basis, duration, and follow-up. The reporting quality of studies was evaluated according to the mHealth evidence and reporting assessment criteria.ResultsIn this study, 15 papers met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The studies mainly focused on the use of mHealth educational interventions for chronic disease management, and the main format for delivering interventions was text. Of the 15 studies, 6 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which have shown statistically significant effects on patients' health outcomes, including patients' engagement level, hemoglobin A1c, weight loss, and depression. Although the results of RCTs were mostly positive, we were unable to identify any specific effective structure and strategy for mHealth educational interventions owing to the poor reporting quality and heterogeneity of the interventions.ConclusionsEvidence on mHealth interventions for patient education published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrates that current reporting on essential mHealth criteria is insufficient for assessing, understanding, and replicating mHealth interventions. There is a lack of theory or conceptual framework for the development of mHealth interventions for patient education. Therefore, further research is required to determine the optimal structure, strategies, and delivery methods of mHealth educational interventions.

Project description:BackgroundIn many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death as cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension rapidly increase. The Cambodian nongovernmental organization, MoPoTsyo, trains local residents with diabetes to be peer educators (PEs) to deliver chronic disease self-management training and medications to 14,000 people with hypertension and/or diabetes in Cambodia. We collaborated with MoPoTsyo to develop a mobile-based messaging intervention (mobile health; mHealth) to link MoPoTsyo's database, PEs, pharmacies, clinics, and people living with diabetes and/or hypertension to improve adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines.ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand the facilitators and barriers to chronic disease management and the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of mHealth to support chronic disease management and strengthen community-clinical linkages to existing services.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory qualitative study using semistructured interviews and focus groups with PEs and people living with diabetes and/or hypertension. Interviews were recorded and conducted in Khmer script, transcribed and translated into the English language, and uploaded into Atlas.ti for analysis. We used a thematic analysis to identify key facilitators and barriers to disease management and opportunities for mHealth content and format. The information-motivation-behavioral model was used to guide data collection, analysis, and message development.ResultsWe conducted six focus groups (N=59) and 11 interviews in one urban municipality and five rural operating districts from three provinces in October 2016. PE network participants desired mHealth to address barriers to chronic disease management through reminders about medications, laboratory tests and doctor's consultations, education on how to incorporate self-management into their daily lives, and support for obstacles to disease management. Participants preferred mobile-based voice messages to arrive at dinnertime for improved phone access and family support. They desired voice messages over texts to communicate trust and increase accessibility for persons with limited literacy, vision, and smartphone access. PEs shared similar views and perceived mHealth as acceptable and feasible for supporting their work. We developed 34 educational, supportive, and reminder mHealth messages based on these findings.ConclusionsThese mHealth messages are currently being tested in a cluster randomized controlled trial (#1R21TW010160) to improve diabetes and hypertension control in Cambodia. This study has implications for practice and policies in Cambodia and other LMICs and low-resource US settings that are working to engage PEs and build community-clinical linkages to facilitate chronic disease management.

Dataset Information

Using Targeted mHealth Messages to Address Hypertension and Diabetes Self-Management in Cambodia: Protocol for a Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial.

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