Why patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder start, continue or discontinue health-related apps supporting their self-management.

Abstract

Various apps can be used for self-management purposes as long as these apps meet the individual user's requirements. Clinicians and patients should have a broad view when looking for suitable apps and not limit the search to just professional apps. In developing new apps, patients, clinicians and developers should collaborate in the development process, requirements and design. INTRODUCTION: Self-management is one of the cornerstones in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). Complementing interventions by apps are seen as a good opportunity to support self-management. However, there is insufficient knowledge about understanding the use of health-related applications by consumers with BD for self-management purposes. The study aims to gain insight from patients diagnosed with BD about reasons to use, continue or discontinue health-related apps. This study employed a mixed-method design in which 41 participants diagnosed with BD participated in a quantitative survey, and 11 participants also participated in an in-depth interview. The survey showed that 44% (n= 18) of the participants use health-related apps, and 26.8% (n= 11) use those apps consistently. Interviews revealed that adjustability, usability, trustworthiness and the guarantee of privacy were the main reasons determining whether participants used or terminated the use of a health-related app. Although we found that a substantial number of patients diagnosed with BD use one or more apps to support self-management, their use is often discontinued due to content that needs more robust to address their needs. Besides appropriate content, tailoring and persuasive technologies will likely promote the continued use of an app for self-management purposes. Cooperation between those diagnosed with bipolar disorder and health professionals (like mental health nurses) in developing and designing applications that are aimed to support self-management in BD is necessary for successful implementation and adaptation.