Patient and Clinician Attitudes Toward Mobile Health Apps: Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) apps offer potential for chronic condition management but face adoption barriers.
• Understanding patient and clinician attitudes is vital for realizing mHealth's full potential, especially in the US.
• Existing research inadequately addresses the nuanced perspectives influencing mHealth app recommendation and use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient and clinician attitudes impacting the recommendation and adoption of mHealth apps.
• To explore factors influencing the integration of mHealth technologies into clinical practice and patient self-management.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing deductive content analysis and a rapid analytic method.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 clinicians and 28 patients.
• Analysis focused on technical, social, personal, policy, and organizational factors influencing mHealth adoption.

Main Results:

• Seven key attitude categories emerged: apps as care extenders, impact on patient-clinician relationships, design simplicity, prior experience, technological comfort, trusted recommendations, and education.
• Both patients and clinicians recognized similar benefits and influencing factors regarding mHealth apps.
• A significant difference was observed in clinicians' perceptions versus patients' views on older adults' interest and ability to use mHealth apps.

Conclusions:

• Shared understanding of mHealth benefits exists between patients and clinicians, facilitating potential adoption.
• Clinicians' potentially biased perceptions of older adults' digital literacy may hinder mHealth app recommendations for this demographic.
• Addressing these differing perceptions is crucial for equitable and effective implementation of mHealth solutions.