Compliance level to mobile health research application in cardiovascular patients

PURPOSE: This thesis intends to evaluate the factors which positively and negatively influence patient compliance to performing weekly home-based digital 6-minute-walk-tests (d6MWT) using a smartphone and smart watch. PROBLEM: Long term patient engagement in mobile health apps have proven to be a challenge to maintain. In this thesis, factors that influence patient engagement will be identified when it comes to retaining participants that are using the VascTrac mobile health research application. METHODS: Patient compliance will be calculated based on how many d6MWT are completed out of the expected total. The population is split into four levels of compliance groups from least compliant (0-25% compliance (Group A)) to most compliant (75.1-100% compliance (Group D)). “Open Walk” and survey data are collected and compared amongst these groups to see if there are any direct relationships that could be found. An “End of Study Survey” is also conducted to better understand the reasons behind differing compliance levels. RESULTS: The overall compliance level is 66.1% for all comers with half of the patients scoring above 80%. Patients with higher compliance tend to have a higher weekly “Open Walk” average (correlation coefficient = 0.3). The average of weekly “Open Walk” is 0.53 walks/week. CONCLUSION: Factors that negatively affect whether patients would be compliant to doing the weekly d6MWT are medical issues, technical difficulties, hospitalization, and lack of motivation. Being motivated and having a desire for self-improvement positively influences compliance levels. Decrease use of walking aids correlates to higher compliance and being smartphone naïve at beginning of study correlates to lower compliance. The other factors (age, co-morbidities, smoking habit, etc.) considered did not predict compliance levels