Development and Implementation of an Interprofessional Digital Platform to Increase Therapeutic Adherence: Protocol...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Patient Adherence Research

Background:

• Adherence to care plans is a significant challenge in healthcare systems, impacting treatment effectiveness and chronic disease management.
• A lack of integrated tools necessitates a platform to continuously support patients and healthcare professionals in managing chronic conditions.
• Nonadherence to treatment poses health risks, driving the need for innovative solutions to improve patient engagement and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient and healthcare professional needs regarding treatment adherence interactions for chronic conditions.
• To co-develop an interactive digital platform tailored to address identified user needs for improved therapeutic adherence.
• To evaluate the platform's effects and acceptability within a clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a design thinking process informed by user needs for chronic disease treatment adherence (e.g., diabetes, asthma, hypertension, COPD).
• Employed a mixed-methods evaluation research design for platform development and assessment.
• Collected qualitative data for user needs and acceptability, and quantitative data for platform effects.

Main Results:

• The technological development of the interactive digital platform is complete.
• Recruitment for Phase 1 commenced in May 2022.
• Project results will inform clinicians and managers on contemporary solutions for enhancing patient adherence to chronic disease treatments.

Conclusions:

• Interactive digital platforms can enhance patient-provider communication in primary care, potentially improving treatment adherence.
• The developed platform prioritizes patient and healthcare professional needs, representing a step towards better adherence support.
• This co-designed tool aims to optimize the use of interactive applications for chronic disease management.