An mHealth application for chronic vascular access: Consumer led co-creation

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.