Assessing the Feasibility of a Novel Preventive Mobile Health App among Informal Caregivers of Outpatients at Risk of Developing Pressure Ulcers: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Polychronis Giannis , Noula Maria , Petrou Christos , Roupa Zoe 
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Pressure ulcers pose a significant public health challenge. In this technologically advanced era, mobile health applications stand as a critical resource, offering access to real-time data, efficient scheduling, and task automation. The current innovation, enables the formation of more effective, economical healthcare models whilst simultaneously ensuring superior patient care and satisfaction. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a novel preventive mobile health application targeted at informal caregivers of outpatients at risk of developing pressure ulcers. Method: A quasi-experimental study design was employed, involving 45 informal caregivers of outpatients at risk of developing pressure ulcers. Participants were recruited from outpatient care settings and assigned to either the intervention group (n = 23) or the control group (n = 22). The intervention group received access to the preventive mobile health application, which included features such as educational content, risk assessment tools, and reminders for pressure ulcer prevention strategies. The control group received standard care (an information booklet) without access to the mobile application. The mobile application's utility and ease of use, differences between the groups in knowledge levels regarding preventative measures, pressure ulcer incidence rates, and the self-efficacy of informal caregivers were all taken into consideration when determining feasibility. Data were collected at baseline, two (2), and four (4) months of follow-up. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Results showed that there is a significant difference in the degree of improvement in knowledge about prevention strategies (p = 0.040) and the organization and efficacy of patient support (p = 0.049) between the two groups over time. While the control group experienced no appreciable change, the intervention group, which was exposed to the mobile application, demonstrated an improvement in these areas. Informal caregivers initially had low acceptance of the application, but perceived utility increased significantly at 4 months (p = 0.010). After a 4-month follow-up, the perceived utility was also found to be positively correlated with levels of organization and efficacy of patient support (r = 0.40, p = 0.05), despite the fact that the perceived ease of use did not alter significantly over time. Conclusions: This investigation proposes that the innovative preventative mobile health application has the potential to be viable and is well-received among informal caregivers caring for outpatients at risk of developing pressure ulcers. In addition, the temporal fluctuations in metrics between the groups suggest that this application could serve as an advantageous instrument in aiding the efforts of informal caregivers in pressure ulcer prevention. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct further studies with more extensive sample sizes and extended follow-up periods in order to corroborate these findings and evaluate the enduring efficacy of the application in preventing pressure ulcers.