mHealth Technology as a Persuasive Tool for Treatment, Care and Management of Persons Living with HIV

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) technology can be a valuable tool in the management of chronic illnesses, including HIV. Qualitative research methods were used to identify the desired content and features of a mobile app for meeting and improving the healthcare needs of persons living with HIV (PLWH). We conducted six focus group sessions with 50 English-or Spanish-speaking PLWH in New York City. To inform data analysis and to illustrate how mHealth technology can be used as a persuasive strategy for improving the health of PLWH, we integrated Fogg's functional role triad for computing technology model with the self-determination theory to illustrate how mHealth technology can be used as a persuasive strategy for improving the health of PLWH. Participants suggested several tools for meeting their healthcare needs, including: reminders/alerts, lab results tracking, and notes on health status. mHealth technology can function as a social actor by providing chat boxes/forums, testimonials of lived experiences, and personal outreach. Examples of media that can be used as a persuasive technology include games/virtual rewards, coding of health tasks, and simulations on how to connect with PLWH. Findings from these focus groups can be used to design a mobile app for PLWH that is targeted to meet their healthcare needs.

Development of an mHealth platform for HIV Care: Gathering User Perspectives Through Co-Design Workshops and Interviews (Preprint)

“…Our study findings confirmed results of prior studies where the storing and tracking of lab results and medication and appointment reminders were identified as desirable app functionalities for PLWH [17][18][19][20][21]. In our study, access to blood test results has been imagined and anticipated as being an important function by both patients and clinicians.…”

“…Along with the results of other studies, our participants suggested that an mHealth platform could facilitate a peer-support network [17][18][19][20]32]. Additionally, our participants imagined an app supporting them while travelling internationally (e.g.…”

“…Both appointment management systems and medication management systems have been stressed as important functionalities for self-managing HIV and will be considered in the development of the EmERGE platform. In other studies options to exchange messages between patients and clinics are currently implemented through basic cell phone text messaging services [31].While two-way communication features have not yet been considered within the development of comprehensive HIV mHealth platforms based on interacting apps and web interfaces [17][18][19], our co-design participants did regard this as an important functionality to maintain relationships and exchange information and concerns. As a result, a messaging function has been developed and integrated into the EmERGE mHealth platform.…”

“…Only a few studies have involved PLWH to inform the design of smartphone apps for HIV prevention, treatment and care [17][18][19] or to test prototypes [20]. Furthermore, in the context of HIV care, clinicians are almost never considered as potential adopters of mHealth technology and so are rarely included in co-design initiatives.…”

“…While critical decisions about what desired functionalities are included in the final product can be made in the design phase, it is only later, in the implementation phase that actual experiences with mHealth devices can be captured and reflected upon. Finally, most participatory studies were conducted in the United States [17][18][19][20][21][22] and, to our knowledge, there is no evidence of how PLWH and clinicians in European healthcare systems evaluate the potentials and risks of mHealth for use in HIV treatment and care.…”