Phongtankuel Veerawat, Shalev Ariel, Adelman Ronald D, Dewald Richard, Dignam Ritchell, Baughn Rosemary, Prigerson Holly G, Teresi Jeanne, Czaja Sara J, Reid M Carrington
1 Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
2 The Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2018 Dec;35(12):1547-1552. doi: 10.1177/1049909118779018. Epub 2018 Jun 3.
: Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) represent a rapidly emerging technology that is being used to improve health-care delivery. In home hospice, informal caregivers play an essential role in attending to the day-to-day needs of their terminally ill loved ones. Using mHealth apps by caregivers in this setting could potentially improve the support provided to both patients and caregivers at the end of life (EoL).
: To explore informal caregivers' receptivity and concerns in using mHealth apps along with app features, caregivers perceived to be most useful in home hospice care.
: Eighty semistructured phone interviews were conducted with informal caregivers who received care from a nonprofit hospice organization. Study data were analyzed using content analysis, coding for themes of receptivity and interest.
: Sixty-two (78%) participants were receptive to using an mHealth app in home hospice care. Informal caregivers were interested in features that addressed: (1) communication to improve patient care (n = 44, 70%), (2) access to patient care information (n = 30, 48%), (3) education (n = 24, 39%), and (4) updates from health-care personnel and scheduling services (n = 10, 16%).
: A substantial majority of informal caregivers voiced receptivity to using mHealth apps and expressed interest in features that enhance communication and provide information to improve patient care. Although more research is needed to examine how to incorporate this technology into existing home hospice care, our study suggests that informal caregivers are likely to use this technology they feel will help enhance home-based EoL care delivery.
移动健康应用程序（mHealth应用）是一种迅速兴起的技术，正被用于改善医疗服务的提供。在家庭临终关怀中，非正式照护者在照顾身患绝症的亲人的日常需求方面发挥着至关重要的作用。在这种情况下，照护者使用mHealth应用可能会改善临终时为患者和照护者提供的支持。
探讨非正式照护者对使用mHealth应用的接受程度和担忧，以及他们认为在家庭临终关怀护理中最有用的应用功能。
对从一家非营利性临终关怀组织接受护理的非正式照护者进行了80次半结构化电话访谈。使用内容分析法对研究数据进行分析，并对接受程度和兴趣的主题进行编码。
62名（78%）参与者接受在家庭临终关怀护理中使用mHealth应用。非正式照护者对以下功能感兴趣：（1）改善患者护理的沟通功能（n = 44，70%），（2）获取患者护理信息（n = 30，48%），（3）教育功能（n = 24，39%），以及（4）医护人员的更新信息和日程安排服务（n = 10，16%）。
绝大多数非正式照护者表示愿意使用mHealth应用，并对增强沟通和提供信息以改善患者护理的功能表现出兴趣。尽管需要更多研究来探讨如何将这项技术纳入现有的家庭临终关怀护理中，但我们的研究表明，非正式照护者很可能会使用他们认为有助于加强家庭临终护理服务的这项技术。
