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Published on: August 1, 2019
Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness of a Telehealth Gamification App for Self-Management in Patients
Narges Norouzkhani1,2, Mahbobeh Faramarzi3, Ali Bahari4
1Department of Health Information Technology, School of Management and Medical Informatics Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran.
Background:
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic, relapsing-remitting disorders that significantly impair quality of life and increase healthcare utilization. Although effective therapies are available, suboptimal adherence and insufficient monitoring often compromise disease control. Digital health interventions that incorporate gamification may strengthen patient engagement and promote sustained self-management.
Objective:
To assess the efficacy of the "My IBD Buddy" gamified mobile telemedicine platform vs. standard care in enhancing clinical and patient-reported outcomes among adults with IBD.
Methods:
A multicenter, parallel-group, two-arm exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted over 24 weeks. Adults with IBD were randomized to receive either the My IBD Buddy intervention-featuring disease activity tracking, medication adherence support, personalized education, and gamified self-management modules-or standard care. Primary endpoints were disease-specific quality of life and self-efficacy; secondary endpoints included disease knowledge, mental health status, and additional health-related metrics.
Results:
At week 12, the intervention group exhibited statistically significant improvements in self-efficacy (p < 0.001, SMD = 0.30) and disease knowledge (p = 0.001, SMD = 0.40) compared with the control group. Although quality-of-life scores improved, the differences were not statistically significant at this stage. By week 24, all primary and key secondary outcomes showed statistically significant differences, including substantial improvements in quality of life, self-efficacy (p < 0.001, SMD = 0.61), and disease knowledge (p < 0.001, SMD = 0.61). Retention in the intervention group was high at 92%.
Conclusion:
A gamified, theory-driven telemedicine platform significantly enhanced patient-reported outcomes, disease knowledge, and engagement in IBD care. These results support incorporating gamified digital self-management solutions into routine clinical practice as a scalable, patient-centered strategy for managing chronic disease.
Trial Registration:
IRCT20200613047757N1; registered on November 16, 2021. Prospectively registered and accessible via OSF: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AWFY9.
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