Patients’ Experiences Using a Mobile Health App for Self-Care of Heart Failure in a Real-World Setting: Qualitative Analysis

BACKGROUND: Publicly available patient-focused mobile health (mHealth) apps are being increasingly integrated into routine heart failure (HF)–related self-care. However, there is a dearth of research on patients’ experiences using mHealth apps for self-care in real-world settings. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore patients’ experiences using a commercially available mHealth app, OnTrack to Health, for HF self-care in a real-world setting. METHODS: Patient satisfaction, measured with a 5-point Likert scale, and an open-ended survey were used to gather data from 23 patients with HF who were provided the OnTrack to Health app as a part of routine HF management. A content analysis of patients’ responses was conducted with the qualitative software Atlas.ti (version 8; ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH). RESULTS: Patients (median age 64, IQR 57-71 years; 17/23, 74% male) used OnTrack to Health for a median 164 (IQR 51-640) days before the survey. All patients reported excellent experiences related to app use and would recommend the app to other patients with HF. Five themes emerged from the responses to the open-ended questions: (1) features that enhanced self-care of HF (medication tracker, graphic performance feedback and automated alerts, secured messaging features, and HF self-care education); (2) perceived benefits (provided assurance of safety, improved HF self-care, and decreased hospitalization rates); (3) challenges with using apps for self-care (giving up previous self-care strategies); (4) facilitators (perceived ease of use and availability of technical support); and (5) suggested improvements (streamlining data entry, integration of apps with an electronic medical record, and personalization of app features). CONCLUSIONS: Patients were satisfied with using OnTrack to Health for self-care. They perceived the features of the app as valuable tools for improving self-care ability and decreasing hospitalization rates. The development of apps in collaboration with end users is essential to ensure high-quality patient experiences related to app use for self-care.