I direct the certificate program in Digital Health Communication at Tufts University School of Medicine in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine.
BackgroundOver 50% of US adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsib... more BackgroundOver 50% of US adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsible for 33%–69% of hospital admissions and 125,000 deaths annually. Given the higher prevalence of prescription drug use among middle-aged and older adult populations, promoting medication adherence is of particular importance with these age groups. Two speculated facilitators of medication adherence are home medication storage location and the use of digital health devices.ObjectiveOur objective was to use survey data to investigate the associations between medication storage location and medication adherence among adults 40 years and older. Additionally, we aimed to report preliminary findings about the associations between use of devices and medication adherence in this same population.MethodsWe conducted primary analysis of data sampled from a home medication management survey deployed in November 2021 (n = 580). We conducted exploratory analyses by way of chi2 tests and creation of b...
UNSTRUCTURED Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. It is charac... more UNSTRUCTURED Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. It is characterized by a broad spectrum of manifestations, depending on the affected organs and the severity of the inflammation at the time of presentation. Despite improvements in management, treatments are required on a chronic, cyclical basis; have high potential for unpleasant side effects; and deliver variable efficacy. Patients require care from multiple specialists, which can be delivered simultaneously and sporadically. Our fragmented health care system further exacerbates the disconnect between intermittent medical care and the lived experiences of patients with SLE. The goals of this research are to (1) assess the current standard of care for patients with SLE through the review of medical literature, including clinical consensus guidelines and systematic reviews; (2) assess the lived experiences of patients with lupus through the review of peer-reviewed literature on social listening, structured interviews, and data available from the open-access digital health platform PatientsLikeMe; and (3) present the perspective that the medical community has an opportunity to acknowledge and review the use of digital health interventions (DHIs) with their patients. The results of this research indicate that patients are incorporating DHIs, such as the internet and social media platforms, as critical components of their care for even the most basic of support. Although patients with SLE are depending on this support to shape their care, it is not considered a primary source of care by clinicians. Integrating the voices of patients brings valuable dimension to understanding the lived experiences of patients with SLE and the impacts of mutually dependent patient needs as patients navigate the disease in daily life. The medical community has a meaningful opportunity to leverage and recommend existing DHIs, such as web-based community platforms and web-based patient registries, at every stage of the patient journey to help patients better manage their condition. This has the potential to proactively build patient trust and well-being, reduce the underreporting of symptoms, increase shared decision-making, inform and shape clinical guidelines and future research, and improve patient outcomes.
BackgroundOver 50% of U.S. adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is respons... more BackgroundOver 50% of U.S. adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsible for 33% to 69% of hospital admissions and 125,000 deaths annually. Given the higher prevalence of prescription drug use among older adult populations, increasing medication adherence is of particular importance with this age group. Two speculated facilitators of medication adherence are home medication storage location and the use of digital health devices.ObjectiveOur objective was to use survey data to investigate the associations between medication storage location and medication adherence among adults 40 years and older. Additionally, we aimed to report preliminary findings about the associations between use of digital health devices and medication adherence in this same population.MethodsWe conducted primary analysis of data sampled from a home medication management survey deployed in November 2021 (n=580). Exploratory analyses were conducted by way of chi2tests and creation of...
<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Telehealth adoption by healthcare inst... more <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Telehealth adoption by healthcare institutions increased drastically when the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition from in-person to virtual visits. Many providers, despite minimal experience or training, were forced to adapt quickly. Learning how physicians responded to these changes has the potential to improve provider and patient experience and planning for future telehealth implementation.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> <p>(1) To study provider experience and expectations regarding virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. (2) To use this data to inform quality improvement efforts at the hospital to improve physician satisfaction and patient care.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> <p>A digital survey was developed and distributed internally to Family Medicine and Cardiology providers at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Survey responses were collected for 6 weeks and the findings were shared with Newton-Wellesley Hospital to help them better serve their providers and patients.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> <p>In total, 18 providers completed the study survey. Their responses revealed that during the pandemic, providers worked from home 49% of the time and virtual visits constituted 65% of their appointments. Although overall patient visits decreased relative to before the pandemic, primarily in the category of new-patient appointments, provider workload increased. Regarding telehealth training, the survey identified an inconsistent provision of training. The survey also revealed 81% of providers lacked the resources needed to perform their job most effectively during the pandemic. The resource most lacking was a high-definition microphone, followed by a stable internet connection. Several pandemic-related factors, including increased caregiver and household responsibilities and reduced connectivity and computer access, were also found to be barriers to delivering optimal patient care while working from home. These were due to more people being at home.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> <p>For hospitals, the finding that only half of patient encounters turned virtual during the pandemic prompts further exploration about the nature of other appointment types and modalities. Additionally, this finding can help inform hospitals' in-person staffing needs especially if provider capacity is strained. The trend that provider workload increased during the pandemic despite fewer visits warns hospitals that a pandemic of this nature and scale, despite deterring some patients from making appointments, is not an indication to scale down non-pandemic services but rather an indication for flexible staff redeployment. Additionally, the finding that new-patient appointments decreased informs hospitals to remind the public of the importance of not delaying medical care despite pandemic concerns. Lastly, the list of resources providers felt were most lacking and the list of virtual visit barriers most worsened by the pandemic can help hospitals better equip and support their providers so they can help patients as efficiently as possible. With no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual visits continuing at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, physician feedback demonstrates many opportunities for hospital leadership to provide targeted support to their providers and consequently better patient care. The knowledge gained from this study should be used to adapt and improve support for providers for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Future studies will measure the impact of policy changes instigated by these recommendations and may warrant broader study at other healthcare institutions.</p> </sec>
How might clinicians collect the vitals needed for effective scheduled video visits for older adu... more How might clinicians collect the vitals needed for effective scheduled video visits for older adults? This challenge was presented by AARP to graduate students in a Digital Health course at Tufts University School of Medicine. The design thinking process was used to create a product that would meet this need, keeping the needs and constraints of older adults, especially those with chronic conditions or other barriers to health, central to the solution. The initial steps involved understanding and empathizing with the target audience through interviews and by developing personas and scenarios that identified barriers and opportunities. The later steps were to ideate potential solutions, design a prototype, and define product success. The design thinking process led to the design of Home Health Hub, a remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform designed to meet the unique needs of older adults. Additionally, Home Health Hub can conceivably benefit all users of telehealth, regardless of h...
ABSTRACT What are the benefits and drawbacks of integrating social media into higher education an... more ABSTRACT What are the benefits and drawbacks of integrating social media into higher education and, specifically, graduate medical and health education? In order to explore the answer to this question we conducted a literature search and introduced social media into a course at Tufts University School of Medicine. We report on student surveys that were designed to uncover students&amp;#39; expectations for, knowledge of, and comfort with social media. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive when asked about the benefits to learning about social media in an academic setting, which was one of the key questions we sought to answer. We also provide an assessment of social media&amp;#39;s potential from the perspectives of students, faculty, administrators, and people outside the institution.
The national prevalence of diabetes in India is over nine percent. At the same time, India has th... more The national prevalence of diabetes in India is over nine percent. At the same time, India has the second largest mobile market, following China. While technology has had minimal impact on consumer health overall in India, there is an opportunity to use SMS with diabetes patients. Agada Healthcare, a diabetes clinic located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, faces the challenge of increasing patient adherence, which is estimated at about ten percent. Almost all their patients have a cell phone and Agada Healthcare wants to use SMS to increase adherence. To date we have worked with staff at Agada healthcare to learn about their self-pay patients: their health situation, knowledge and self-management skills, treatment plans, and family involvement in care. We have conducted a survey of attitudes of patients and their families towards cell phones and SMS, and their willingness to participate in a pilot. At the same time, we are investigating other SMS interventions to extrapolate from the ...
A wealth of health information is available online, but we do not fully understand the implicatio... more A wealth of health information is available online, but we do not fully understand the implications for health communication. This study examined whether health information seekers who turn to the Internet first differ from those who turn elsewhere. Data from the 2,338 respondents to the mail portion of the National Cancer Institute&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2007 who reported looking for health information for themselves were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to examine whether health information seekers turning to the Internet first differed in terms of demographics, information preferences and seeking confidence, and communication with providers from those using other sources. In the final model, Internet users were younger, more educated, higher income, preferred numbers rather than words to describe chance, and think it is very important to get personal medical information electronically. There were no differences in terms of gender, health status, confidence seeking health information, or communication with providers. Health information seekers who turn to the Internet first are different, both in terms of demographics and information preferences. As the use of communication technologies increases, health communicators need to be attentive to the potential for communication inequalities.
Social media has the potential to reach farm families to educate them about health and safety for... more Social media has the potential to reach farm families to educate them about health and safety for children. It offers advantages over traditional approaches because of the shorter time between creation and distribution and because of the greater reach and engagement possible. Recommendations are provided for how government agencies and the private sector can learn about and use social media to promote health and safety for children as a supplement to traditional approaches.
Even when older adults monitor hypertension at home, it is difficult to understand trends and sha... more Even when older adults monitor hypertension at home, it is difficult to understand trends and share them with their providers. MyHealthNetwork is a dashboard designed for patients and providers to monitor blood pressure readings to detect hypertension and ultimately warning signs of changes in brain health. A multidisciplinary group in a Digital Health course at Tufts University School of Medicine used Design Thinking to formulate a digital solution to promote brain health among older adults in the United States (US). Older adults (aged 65 and over) are a growing population in the US, with many having one or more chronic health conditions including hypertension. Nearly half of all American adults ages 50-64 worry about memory loss as they age and almost all (90%) wish to maintain independence and age in their homes. Given the well-studied association between hypertension and dementia, we designed a solution that would ultimately promote brain health among older adults by allowing th...
International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 1992
Abstract This field investigation studied the use of an expert system technology to gain some add... more Abstract This field investigation studied the use of an expert system technology to gain some additional insight into specifiic behavioral implications for information system designers. Twenty-eight engineers in an oil and gas exploration and production company participated in this study by solving a well pressure buildup analysis problem. Half of the subjects utilized a well test interpretation expert system to assist them while the other subjects solved the problem manually. The groups were balanced across age, cognitive style and trait anxiety. Independent variables consisted of the expert system treatment, dogmatism and experience with performing the task. Impact measures consisted of decision confidence, decision quality, decision time, state anxiety and a system success indicator for those subjects utilizing the expert system. Although decision confidence was higher in the group utilizing the expert system, there was no corresponding increase in decision quality. Also, experts utilizing the expert system experienced an increase in state anxiety, and rated the expert system significantly worse than the novices did. This may imply that expert system technology may be more useful or appropriate to novices than experts.
ABSTRACT Evidence-based guidelines and health behavior theories have had little impact on mobile ... more ABSTRACT Evidence-based guidelines and health behavior theories have had little impact on mobile health app design. The number of consumer health apps is currently estimated at more than 40,000 and growing. The app stores&#39; descriptions give minimal information, and many people who download health apps don&#39;t even open them once, let alone sustain regular use. A recent Pew survey found that nineteen percent of smartphone owners have downloaded an app related to health and only seven percent of people surveyed used a smartphone app to track health, like weight, diet, and exercise routine or to monitor a chronic disease. With no shortage of health apps but minimal success in health app retention and use, we first considered the extent to which evidence-based guidelines or Transtheoretical Model of Change were integrated into health app design. For the former, we surveyed weight loss apps and for the latter we survey fitness apps. We found a few instances of weight loss apps incorporating evidence-based guidelines, and noted that their app store descriptions rarely used this language or referred to underlying research. Of the fitness apps, we found none that were based on Transtheoretical Model of Change. Smartphone use is growing and the goal of our research is to create a design framework that incorporates evidence-based guidelines and Transtheoretical Model of Change. We will then test this model, initially with graduate students in a Mobile Health Design course, to determine the impact on the design process, the result, and formative evaluation of prototypes.
We get asked often to look at new online courses and sometimes even get offered a login name and ... more We get asked often to look at new online courses and sometimes even get offered a login name and password to a course that other people would have to pay for. It's fun and it allows us to critique and learn from other people's coursesin particular, what to try and what to avoid. We ...
BackgroundOver 50% of US adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsib... more BackgroundOver 50% of US adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsible for 33%–69% of hospital admissions and 125,000 deaths annually. Given the higher prevalence of prescription drug use among middle-aged and older adult populations, promoting medication adherence is of particular importance with these age groups. Two speculated facilitators of medication adherence are home medication storage location and the use of digital health devices.ObjectiveOur objective was to use survey data to investigate the associations between medication storage location and medication adherence among adults 40 years and older. Additionally, we aimed to report preliminary findings about the associations between use of devices and medication adherence in this same population.MethodsWe conducted primary analysis of data sampled from a home medication management survey deployed in November 2021 (n = 580). We conducted exploratory analyses by way of chi2 tests and creation of b...
UNSTRUCTURED Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. It is charac... more UNSTRUCTURED Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. It is characterized by a broad spectrum of manifestations, depending on the affected organs and the severity of the inflammation at the time of presentation. Despite improvements in management, treatments are required on a chronic, cyclical basis; have high potential for unpleasant side effects; and deliver variable efficacy. Patients require care from multiple specialists, which can be delivered simultaneously and sporadically. Our fragmented health care system further exacerbates the disconnect between intermittent medical care and the lived experiences of patients with SLE. The goals of this research are to (1) assess the current standard of care for patients with SLE through the review of medical literature, including clinical consensus guidelines and systematic reviews; (2) assess the lived experiences of patients with lupus through the review of peer-reviewed literature on social listening, structured interviews, and data available from the open-access digital health platform PatientsLikeMe; and (3) present the perspective that the medical community has an opportunity to acknowledge and review the use of digital health interventions (DHIs) with their patients. The results of this research indicate that patients are incorporating DHIs, such as the internet and social media platforms, as critical components of their care for even the most basic of support. Although patients with SLE are depending on this support to shape their care, it is not considered a primary source of care by clinicians. Integrating the voices of patients brings valuable dimension to understanding the lived experiences of patients with SLE and the impacts of mutually dependent patient needs as patients navigate the disease in daily life. The medical community has a meaningful opportunity to leverage and recommend existing DHIs, such as web-based community platforms and web-based patient registries, at every stage of the patient journey to help patients better manage their condition. This has the potential to proactively build patient trust and well-being, reduce the underreporting of symptoms, increase shared decision-making, inform and shape clinical guidelines and future research, and improve patient outcomes.
BackgroundOver 50% of U.S. adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is respons... more BackgroundOver 50% of U.S. adults do not take their prescriptions as prescribed, which is responsible for 33% to 69% of hospital admissions and 125,000 deaths annually. Given the higher prevalence of prescription drug use among older adult populations, increasing medication adherence is of particular importance with this age group. Two speculated facilitators of medication adherence are home medication storage location and the use of digital health devices.ObjectiveOur objective was to use survey data to investigate the associations between medication storage location and medication adherence among adults 40 years and older. Additionally, we aimed to report preliminary findings about the associations between use of digital health devices and medication adherence in this same population.MethodsWe conducted primary analysis of data sampled from a home medication management survey deployed in November 2021 (n=580). Exploratory analyses were conducted by way of chi2tests and creation of...
<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Telehealth adoption by healthcare inst... more <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Telehealth adoption by healthcare institutions increased drastically when the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition from in-person to virtual visits. Many providers, despite minimal experience or training, were forced to adapt quickly. Learning how physicians responded to these changes has the potential to improve provider and patient experience and planning for future telehealth implementation.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> <p>(1) To study provider experience and expectations regarding virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. (2) To use this data to inform quality improvement efforts at the hospital to improve physician satisfaction and patient care.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> <p>A digital survey was developed and distributed internally to Family Medicine and Cardiology providers at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Survey responses were collected for 6 weeks and the findings were shared with Newton-Wellesley Hospital to help them better serve their providers and patients.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> <p>In total, 18 providers completed the study survey. Their responses revealed that during the pandemic, providers worked from home 49% of the time and virtual visits constituted 65% of their appointments. Although overall patient visits decreased relative to before the pandemic, primarily in the category of new-patient appointments, provider workload increased. Regarding telehealth training, the survey identified an inconsistent provision of training. The survey also revealed 81% of providers lacked the resources needed to perform their job most effectively during the pandemic. The resource most lacking was a high-definition microphone, followed by a stable internet connection. Several pandemic-related factors, including increased caregiver and household responsibilities and reduced connectivity and computer access, were also found to be barriers to delivering optimal patient care while working from home. These were due to more people being at home.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> <p>For hospitals, the finding that only half of patient encounters turned virtual during the pandemic prompts further exploration about the nature of other appointment types and modalities. Additionally, this finding can help inform hospitals' in-person staffing needs especially if provider capacity is strained. The trend that provider workload increased during the pandemic despite fewer visits warns hospitals that a pandemic of this nature and scale, despite deterring some patients from making appointments, is not an indication to scale down non-pandemic services but rather an indication for flexible staff redeployment. Additionally, the finding that new-patient appointments decreased informs hospitals to remind the public of the importance of not delaying medical care despite pandemic concerns. Lastly, the list of resources providers felt were most lacking and the list of virtual visit barriers most worsened by the pandemic can help hospitals better equip and support their providers so they can help patients as efficiently as possible. With no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual visits continuing at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, physician feedback demonstrates many opportunities for hospital leadership to provide targeted support to their providers and consequently better patient care. The knowledge gained from this study should be used to adapt and improve support for providers for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Future studies will measure the impact of policy changes instigated by these recommendations and may warrant broader study at other healthcare institutions.</p> </sec>
How might clinicians collect the vitals needed for effective scheduled video visits for older adu... more How might clinicians collect the vitals needed for effective scheduled video visits for older adults? This challenge was presented by AARP to graduate students in a Digital Health course at Tufts University School of Medicine. The design thinking process was used to create a product that would meet this need, keeping the needs and constraints of older adults, especially those with chronic conditions or other barriers to health, central to the solution. The initial steps involved understanding and empathizing with the target audience through interviews and by developing personas and scenarios that identified barriers and opportunities. The later steps were to ideate potential solutions, design a prototype, and define product success. The design thinking process led to the design of Home Health Hub, a remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform designed to meet the unique needs of older adults. Additionally, Home Health Hub can conceivably benefit all users of telehealth, regardless of h...
ABSTRACT What are the benefits and drawbacks of integrating social media into higher education an... more ABSTRACT What are the benefits and drawbacks of integrating social media into higher education and, specifically, graduate medical and health education? In order to explore the answer to this question we conducted a literature search and introduced social media into a course at Tufts University School of Medicine. We report on student surveys that were designed to uncover students&amp;#39; expectations for, knowledge of, and comfort with social media. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive when asked about the benefits to learning about social media in an academic setting, which was one of the key questions we sought to answer. We also provide an assessment of social media&amp;#39;s potential from the perspectives of students, faculty, administrators, and people outside the institution.
The national prevalence of diabetes in India is over nine percent. At the same time, India has th... more The national prevalence of diabetes in India is over nine percent. At the same time, India has the second largest mobile market, following China. While technology has had minimal impact on consumer health overall in India, there is an opportunity to use SMS with diabetes patients. Agada Healthcare, a diabetes clinic located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, faces the challenge of increasing patient adherence, which is estimated at about ten percent. Almost all their patients have a cell phone and Agada Healthcare wants to use SMS to increase adherence. To date we have worked with staff at Agada healthcare to learn about their self-pay patients: their health situation, knowledge and self-management skills, treatment plans, and family involvement in care. We have conducted a survey of attitudes of patients and their families towards cell phones and SMS, and their willingness to participate in a pilot. At the same time, we are investigating other SMS interventions to extrapolate from the ...
A wealth of health information is available online, but we do not fully understand the implicatio... more A wealth of health information is available online, but we do not fully understand the implications for health communication. This study examined whether health information seekers who turn to the Internet first differ from those who turn elsewhere. Data from the 2,338 respondents to the mail portion of the National Cancer Institute&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2007 who reported looking for health information for themselves were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to examine whether health information seekers turning to the Internet first differed in terms of demographics, information preferences and seeking confidence, and communication with providers from those using other sources. In the final model, Internet users were younger, more educated, higher income, preferred numbers rather than words to describe chance, and think it is very important to get personal medical information electronically. There were no differences in terms of gender, health status, confidence seeking health information, or communication with providers. Health information seekers who turn to the Internet first are different, both in terms of demographics and information preferences. As the use of communication technologies increases, health communicators need to be attentive to the potential for communication inequalities.
Social media has the potential to reach farm families to educate them about health and safety for... more Social media has the potential to reach farm families to educate them about health and safety for children. It offers advantages over traditional approaches because of the shorter time between creation and distribution and because of the greater reach and engagement possible. Recommendations are provided for how government agencies and the private sector can learn about and use social media to promote health and safety for children as a supplement to traditional approaches.
Even when older adults monitor hypertension at home, it is difficult to understand trends and sha... more Even when older adults monitor hypertension at home, it is difficult to understand trends and share them with their providers. MyHealthNetwork is a dashboard designed for patients and providers to monitor blood pressure readings to detect hypertension and ultimately warning signs of changes in brain health. A multidisciplinary group in a Digital Health course at Tufts University School of Medicine used Design Thinking to formulate a digital solution to promote brain health among older adults in the United States (US). Older adults (aged 65 and over) are a growing population in the US, with many having one or more chronic health conditions including hypertension. Nearly half of all American adults ages 50-64 worry about memory loss as they age and almost all (90%) wish to maintain independence and age in their homes. Given the well-studied association between hypertension and dementia, we designed a solution that would ultimately promote brain health among older adults by allowing th...
International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 1992
Abstract This field investigation studied the use of an expert system technology to gain some add... more Abstract This field investigation studied the use of an expert system technology to gain some additional insight into specifiic behavioral implications for information system designers. Twenty-eight engineers in an oil and gas exploration and production company participated in this study by solving a well pressure buildup analysis problem. Half of the subjects utilized a well test interpretation expert system to assist them while the other subjects solved the problem manually. The groups were balanced across age, cognitive style and trait anxiety. Independent variables consisted of the expert system treatment, dogmatism and experience with performing the task. Impact measures consisted of decision confidence, decision quality, decision time, state anxiety and a system success indicator for those subjects utilizing the expert system. Although decision confidence was higher in the group utilizing the expert system, there was no corresponding increase in decision quality. Also, experts utilizing the expert system experienced an increase in state anxiety, and rated the expert system significantly worse than the novices did. This may imply that expert system technology may be more useful or appropriate to novices than experts.
ABSTRACT Evidence-based guidelines and health behavior theories have had little impact on mobile ... more ABSTRACT Evidence-based guidelines and health behavior theories have had little impact on mobile health app design. The number of consumer health apps is currently estimated at more than 40,000 and growing. The app stores&#39; descriptions give minimal information, and many people who download health apps don&#39;t even open them once, let alone sustain regular use. A recent Pew survey found that nineteen percent of smartphone owners have downloaded an app related to health and only seven percent of people surveyed used a smartphone app to track health, like weight, diet, and exercise routine or to monitor a chronic disease. With no shortage of health apps but minimal success in health app retention and use, we first considered the extent to which evidence-based guidelines or Transtheoretical Model of Change were integrated into health app design. For the former, we surveyed weight loss apps and for the latter we survey fitness apps. We found a few instances of weight loss apps incorporating evidence-based guidelines, and noted that their app store descriptions rarely used this language or referred to underlying research. Of the fitness apps, we found none that were based on Transtheoretical Model of Change. Smartphone use is growing and the goal of our research is to create a design framework that incorporates evidence-based guidelines and Transtheoretical Model of Change. We will then test this model, initially with graduate students in a Mobile Health Design course, to determine the impact on the design process, the result, and formative evaluation of prototypes.
We get asked often to look at new online courses and sometimes even get offered a login name and ... more We get asked often to look at new online courses and sometimes even get offered a login name and password to a course that other people would have to pay for. It's fun and it allows us to critique and learn from other people's coursesin particular, what to try and what to avoid. We ...
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Papers by Lisa Gualtieri