Experiences With mHealth Use Among Patient-Caregiver Dyads With Chronic Heart Failure: Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Cardiology
• Patient Care

Background:

• Chronic heart failure (CHF) management relies heavily on self-management.
• Mobile health (mHealth) offers new avenues for CHF self-management, with informal caregivers playing a crucial role.
• Existing research on mHealth in CHF predominantly focuses on patient perspectives, neglecting the dyadic experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of patients with chronic heart failure and their informal caregivers regarding mHealth use from a dichotomous perspective.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive phenomenological study employing dyadic interviews with CHF patients and their informal caregivers.
• Face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis.
• NVivo 12 software was utilized for data management and analysis.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: mHealth as human interaction vs. trauma, mHealth as a supplement rather than replacement for offline care, agreement/disagreement on mHealth adoption, and suggestions for improving mHealth.
• Participants reported both positive and negative experiences, emphasizing mHealth's utility as a reference and the occasional necessity of offline care.
• Dyads expressed varied opinions on who should primarily use mHealth, with conflicts arising when patients were designated as the sole adopters.

Conclusions:

• mHealth use in CHF presents mixed experiences for patients and caregivers, underscoring the importance of the human element and network security.
• mHealth should complement, not replace, traditional offline healthcare services.
• Future mHealth development should prioritize ease of use, particularly for older adults, and encourage cautious adoption with caregiver support.