An mHealth application for chronic vascular access: Consumer led co-creation
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Amanda J Ullman1, Victoria Gibson2, Tricia M Kleidon3
1School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia; Queensland Children's Hospital, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia; Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia; Children's Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Insights
A new mobile health app, IV Passport, empowers children and families to manage intravenous (IV) devices. Co-created with users, it improves care for complex health conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Health Informatics
- Patient Empowerment
Background:
- Children with chronic conditions require frequent intravenous (IV) devices, facing challenges due to inconsistent management and fragmented health information.
- Current practices often lack child- and family-centered approaches in vascular access device planning and management.
- Siloed health data negatively impacts healthcare consumers and future care planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To co-create and evaluate a mobile health (mHealth) application, IV Passport, addressing the need for improved vascular access device management in pediatric care.
- To enhance child- and family-centered care by empowering patients and families in managing their IV devices.
- To overcome inconsistencies in IV device selection, insertion, and monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A multi-phased approach was used, starting with a prioritization survey for feature and content recommendations.
- A Passport advisory panel consensus meeting refined the application's scope.
- The mHealth application was designed, content validated via survey, and released on multiple platforms, with a paper version also adapted.
Main Results:
- The prioritization survey identified key features, including graphical device presentations, and content for nine device types with associated management items.
- Content also included device-associated complications, future vascular access plans, and educational resources.
- Content validation confirmed the application's usability, with 100% agreeing it was easy to use and 80% recommending it.
Conclusions:
- The IV Passport application successfully embodies child- and family-centered care through user co-creation, empowering patients and families in vascular access device management.
- The IV Passport is an active and adaptable tool for diverse healthcare settings and patient populations.
- This mHealth solution offers a practical approach to improving the management of vascular access devices for children with complex health needs.
Purpose:
Children with chronic and complex health conditions frequently need intravenous devices. The current approach to intravenous device selection, insertion, and monitoring is inconsistent, and healthcare consumers are often negatively affected by siloed health information, and poor future planning. Despite child- and family-centred care being recognised as a pillar of paediatric nursing care, limited implementation for vascular access device planning and management is evident.
Design And Methods:
To address this, we conducted a multi-phased approach to co-create, then evaluate, a mobile health (mHealth) application: IV Passport. Co-creation involved a prioritisation survey, followed by a Passport advisory panel consensus meeting. Following confirmation of the required content and features of the Passport, the mHealth application was designed and content validation achieved via survey.
Results:
The prioritisation survey yielded recommendations for seven features (e.g., graphical presentations of current/past devices). Content for nine device types (e.g., totally implanted ports) was suggested, each with 10 related items (e.g., insertion site). Content items for device-associated complications, future vascular access plans, and educational resources were also suggested. Following design, the application was released through Apple and Android platforms; and adapted to a paper version. Content validation was established; 100% strongly agreed the application was easy to use; 80% agreed/strongly agreed that they would recommend the Passport to others.
Conclusion:
IV Passport embodies effective child- and family-centred care through consumer co-creation to empower patients and families manage vascular access devices.
Practice Implications:
IV Passport remains active; and can be utilised across many healthcare settings and patient populations.
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