Attitudes and Expectations of Health Care Professionals Toward App-Based Therapy in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Hip or Knee: Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Background The use of mobile health (mHealth) apps is becoming increasingly widespread. However, little is known about the attitudes, expectations, and basic acceptance of health care professionals toward such treatment options. As physical activity and behavior modification are crucial in osteoarthritis management, app-based therapy could be particularly useful for the self-management of this condition. Objective The objective of the study was to determine the expectations and attitudes of medical professionals toward app-based therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Methods Health care professionals attending a rehabilitation congress and employees of a university hospital were asked to fill out a questionnaire consisting of 16 items. A total of 240 questionnaires were distributed. Results A total of 127 participants completed the questionnaire. At 95.3% (121/127), the approval rate for app-based therapy for patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee was very high. Regarding possible concerns, aspects related to data protection and privacy were primarily mentioned (41/127, 32.3%). Regarding potential content, educational units, physiotherapeutic exercise modules, and practices based on motivation psychology were all met with broad approval. Conclusions The study showed a high acceptance of app-based therapy for osteoarthritis, indicating a huge potential of this form of treatment to be applied, prescribed, and recommended by medical professionals. It was widely accepted that the content should reflect a multimodal therapy approach.

Attitude towards tele rehabilitation-based therapy services and its associated factors among health professional working in specialized teaching hospitals in Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia,2021

“…Furthermore, respondents who had high digital literacy were 1.7 times more likely to have a good attitude towards TR compared to those who have low digital literacy (AOR: 1.743(95%CI: 1.028, 2.954). This nding is consistent with the study nding in Ethiopia (26) (27), Sweden(18), Saudi Arabia (23), Pakistan (12), German (19) and Libya (21) (28).…”

“…Participants who own smartphones were 1.9 times more likely to have a good attitude towards telerehabilitation than those who didn't have smartphones. This nding was consistent with the study conducted in Ethiopia(26) and Germany (19). Furthermore, respondents who had high digital literacy were 1.7 times more likely to have a good attitude towards TR compared to those who have low digital literacy (AOR: 1.743(95%CI: 1.028, 2.954).…”

“…Likewise, a survey that assesses the attitude towards healthcare ICT and home follow up in Sweden, indicated that 70% of health professionals have a positive attitude (18). On the other hand, this nding is slightly lower than the study conducted in Germany on app-based therapy among health professionals (77.2%) of participants who had a good attitude (19). Similarly, slightly higher ndings were reported in the study conducted in Egypt on telemedicine where 75% of dermatologists have a good attitude towards telemedicine (20).…”

Toward a Unified mHealth Platform: A Survey of Current User Challenges and Expectations

“…While the study identified the usefulness of mobile apps for skin conditions along with user expectations, the study was very specific to apps for detecting melanoma. Another recent study conducted with healthcare professionals to determine their expectations with mHealth apps [32] has shown expectations of data protection and privacy with a high acceptance of app-based therapies. However, just like the others, the study was still limited to one specific domain.…”

App-Based Feedback for Rehabilitation Exercise Correction in Patients With Knee or Hip Osteoarthritis: Prospective Cohort Study

“…Digital therapeutics have emerged as an option to provide access to exercise therapy and multidisciplinary rehabilitation for patients with musculoskeletal pain conditions such as osteoarthritis and back pain [8][9][10]. Even though a recent survey among health professionals indicated widespread support of use of mobile health technologies in osteoarthritis treatment [11], a primary concern with using digital therapeutics for home-based exercise is the lack of supervision by health care professionals.…”