Development of a Path to Home Mobile App for the Geriatric Rehabilitation Program at Bruyère Continuing Care: Protocol for User-Centered Design and Feasibility Testing Studies.

Chantal Backman,Harvinder Singh,Jay Mercer,Anne Harley,Liam Peyton,Mary Anne Monahan,Craig Kuziemsky,Sandra Schmidt,Deborah Gravelle

doi:10.2196/11031

Abstract

BackgroundAs the population ages, the need for appropriate geriatric rehabilitation services will also increase. Pressures faced by hospitals to reduce length of stay and reduce costs have driven the need for more complex care being delivered in the home or community setting. As a result, a multifaceted approach that can provide geriatric rehabilitation patients with safe and effective person- and family-centered care during transitions from hospital to home is required. We hypothesize that a technology-supported person- and family-centered care transition could empower geriatric rehabilitation patients, engage them in shared decision making, and ultimately help them to safely manage their personalized needs during care transitions from hospital to home.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to design and test the feasibility of a novel Path to Home mobile app to manage the personalized needs of geriatric rehabilitation patients during their transitions from hospital to home.MethodsThis study will consist of (1) codesigning a patient- and provider-tailored mobile app, and (2) feasibility pilot testing of the mobile app to manage the needs of geriatric rehabilitation patients when leaving the hospital. In phase 1, we will follow a user-centered design process integrated with a modern agile software development methodology to iteratively codesign the personalized care transition Path to Home mobile app. In phase 2, we will conduct a single-arm feasibility pilot test with geriatric rehabilitation patients using the personalized care transition Path to Home mobile app to manage their needs during the transition from hospital to home.ResultsThe project was funded in May 2018, and enrollment and data analysis are underway. First results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2019.ConclusionsOur findings will help validate the use of this technology for geriatric rehabilitation patients discharged from the hospital to home. Future research will more rigorously evaluate the health and economic benefits to inform wide-scale adoption of the technology.Registered Report IdentifierRR1-10.2196/11031

Highlights

BackgroundAs the population ages, the need for appropriate geriatric rehabilitation services will increase [1]
This study will consist of (1) codesigning a patient- and provider-tailored mobile app, and (2) feasibility pilot testing of the mobile app to manage the needs of geriatric rehabilitation patients when leaving the hospital
In phase 1, we will follow a user-centered design process integrated with a modern agile software development methodology to iteratively codesign the personalized care transition Path to Home mobile app

Summary

Introduction

BackgroundAs the population ages, the need for appropriate geriatric rehabilitation services will increase [1]. Hospitals face constant pressures to discharge patients earlier, which has driven the need for more complex care being delivered in the home [3]. Engaging patients and their informal caregivers in their care is crucial for optimal outcomes during the transitions from hospital to home. Patients admitted to geriatric rehabilitation often have a diagnosis of cognitive impairment and mild dementia resulting in short-term memory loss Most of this patient population depend on their informal caregivers to provide support to them during the transition from hospital to home. We hypothesize that a technology-supported person- and family-centered care transition could empower geriatric rehabilitation patients, engage them in shared decision making, and help them to safely manage their personalized needs during care transitions from hospital to home

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion