Nurses’ Perspectives on the Use of Mobile Applications for Self-Care in Chronic Illnesses

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the nurses’ perspective on the possibility of incorporating the use of mobile applications into their care practice as a strategy for promoting self-care in people with chronic diseases. Method: an exploratory-descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data were collected between the months of February and March 2023 with 10 nurses who were Master’s degree students in Community Nursing in the Family Health Nursing area from a higher education institution in Nursing in Portugal. The data were analyzed using the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin. The MAXQDA software program was used to facilitate and accelerate qualitative data analysis through coding and categorization. Results: the results were organized into two main categories: challenges for managing the therapeutic regimen and self-care; and strategies for promoting self-care in chronic diseases from the perspective of nurses. The challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic generated elements which hinder and facilitate management of the therapeutic regimen and self-care in people with chronic diseases. From the nurses’ perspective, the use of mobile applications can facilitate promoting self-care in people with chronic illnesses. Conclusion: chronic disease control heavily depends on people’s behaviors and self-management of the disease. The nurses in this study considered that the use of mobile applications can help both healthcare professionals and people with chronic illnesses in promoting health and in the self-care process.