The Bridge: A mobile application for burn patients

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Burn Care
• Mobile Health Interventions

Background:

• Smartphone use is prevalent, offering opportunities for health interventions.
• Patients in underserved areas can benefit from mobile health applications.
• Burn patients require specialized post-discharge support for recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot the Bridge Mobile App for major burn injury patients.
• To address the bio-psycho-social needs during recovery.
• To decrease unplanned hospital readmissions and improve quality of life.

Main Methods:

• App content developed from stakeholder focus groups.
• Delivered recovery-stage appropriate content, videos, and web links via smartphone.
• Collected patient data on pain, anxiety, mood, and compliance.

Main Results:

• The Bridge App provides accessible, round-the-clock support.
• Focus groups informed the development of bio-psycho-social content.
• The app collects crucial patient recovery data.

Conclusions:

• Mobile health applications can support burn patient recovery.
• The Bridge App aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
• Further research is needed to validate the app's effectiveness.