Cardiac Arrest Survivors' Perspectives to Inform the Co-Design of a Web-Based Support and Learning Platform:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Patient Support
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Cardiac arrest survivors face significant cognitive, emotional, physical, and existential challenges post-discharge.
• Current follow-up care and access to reliable information/support are often insufficient for these survivors.
• There is a lack of broader initiatives addressing comprehensive post-cardiac arrest care needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore cardiac arrest survivors' perspectives on digital support.
• To identify essential content and effective delivery formats for a web-based support and learning platform.
• To inform the co-creation of a digital platform to aid recovery.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 20 cardiac arrest survivors (8 women, 12 men; aged 44-80).
• Data collected via 3 individual and 4 focus group interviews.
• Analysis conducted using qualitative content analysis.

Main Results:

• Key design requirements for digital support include: digital communication/navigation, recovery support/unmet needs, and safe social contexts.
• Identified gaps in care: fragmented information, regional disparities, limited psychosocial follow-up.
• Survivors desire flexible digital formats (videos, read-aloud, concise/detailed info) and a centralized, trustworthy resource.

Conclusions:

• A tailored digital support program is crucial to extend care beyond clinical settings.
• Digital platforms can address long-term cognitive, physical, emotional, and relational needs, bridging care gaps.
• User-driven insights are foundational for developing a clinically grounded, adaptable digital support platform for cardiac arrest survivors.