Open Access

Evaluating mobile health technologies: does the traditional randomized controlled trial serve our needs?

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Date: 16 July 2021
Journal: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing , Volume 20 , Issue 6 , Pages 623 - 626
Authors: R. Gallagher , L. Zhang

ESC Journals

Abstract

Mobile health technologies are increasingly used by cardiovascular nurses and allied health clinicians to support behaviour change and self-care in patients. Randomized controlled trials provide rigorous methodology for evaluation but progress slowly, so the technology is often outdated by completion. A helpful modification to the trial design includes identification of the behaviour intervention principles involved and concurrently track in-app usage data, allowing updates to be made. These data collected alongside user experiences enables analysis of effects on outcomes and determination of the relative influence of component parts. Cardiovascular and mental health mHealth strategies are used to exemplify these recommendations.

About the contributors

Robyn Gallagher

Sydney (University of Sydney)

Role: Author

Ling Zhang

Role: Author