Effects of mHealth on Promoting Self-care Health Management Among Older Adults in the Community

Objectives: Many of the existing mobile health (mHealth) apps designed in a reactive care approach, in which people do not receive individualized care until they consulted health care professionals through the apps. This proposal endeavors to develop a proactive mHealth application on promoting self-care ability and health among older adults to examine the differential benefits of adding nurse interaction supported by an integrated health-social partnership model in the use of mHealth. Hypothesis to be tested: There is no difference in self-management outcomes, individual and societal benefits between the subjects receiving mHealth+Interactivity, mHealth, and usual care. Design and subjects: This is a single-blinded, three-armed randomized controlled trial. The subjects are people who are aged 60 or above with chief complaints of either pain, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus. Instruments: mHealth application designed by the research team with the information technological support by Smartone. Interventions: mHealth with interactivity group receives both mHealth app and nurse case management supported by a social service team in community. mHealth group will have access to health content on mHealth platform only. Usual care group receives usual community services. Main outcome measures: Self-management outcomes (self-efficacy, pain score, blood pressure, capillary blood glucose), individual (quality of life, depression) and societal benefits (institutionalization and health service utilization). Data analysis: Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) is used to determine the between-group effects, within-group effects, and the interaction effects. Expected results: Older adults would benefit from supported self-care equipping them with sufficient knowledge, skills and confidence to lead to relatively independent life at home.