Physical Therapist s Perceptions of the Use and Efficacy of. Mobile Apps to Improve Patient Outcomes

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1 Physical Therapist s Perceptions of the Use and Efficacy of Mobile Apps to Improve Patient Outcomes University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Kendall Cortelyou-Ward, PhD Department of Health Management & Informatics Alice Noblin, PhD, RHIA Department of Health Management & Informatics Judi Schack-Dugre, PT, C-ALFA, DPT, MBA Department of Health Professions The Center for Innovative Healthcare, Inc.

Management & Informatics Alice Noblin, PhD, RHIA Department of Health Management & Informatics Judi

2 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT Type of research and a general description of the research: The mobile app industry is growing at an astonishing speed. Recent statistics indicate that there are now over 1 million apps available on the Apple and Android devices. (smartinsights, 2013) Of those 1 million apps, industry reports indicate that almost 6,000 of them are healthcare related. These apps can provide educational resources for physical therapists, and be used to engage patients with exercise logs including repetitions for each movement/body area and documentation of difficulty in completing the prescribed exercises. Engaging the patient in this manner may improve compliance with treatment plans and ultimately outcomes. The focus of this research is to determine the relationships between a physical therapist s mobile phone app usage, and his/her perceptions of patient usage of technology to improve compliance, outcomes and efficiency. The therapist s practice type and setting, age and number of years working as a physical therapist, gender, will also be evaluated for correlations with app usage and perceptions. Survey participants will be recruited using the Florida Physical Therapist Association s electronic newsletter which reaches over 4,500 participants each week. An ad will be placed on in this newsletter asking participants to click a link and take a brief survey about their perceptions of app usage in the field of physical therapy. This research is exploratory and given the sampling technique, a random sample of physical therapists who are members of the Florida Physical Therapy Association is expected. All participants are licensed physical therapists in the State of Florida; however self-selection bias may be a concern using this methodology. This is a

(smartinsights, 2013) Of those 1 million apps, industry reports indicate that almost 6,000 of them are healthcare related.

3 potential limitation of the study that can be addressed in publications resulting from this research.

4 Popular I-Pad Apps use for therapists and patients can be found at: The following app is also useful for patients: Where the research is being conducted: The proposed research will be conducted via an online survey, using Qualtrics, a Survey Monkey like tool. Descriptive analysis of characteristics of the sample will be done with frequency distributions, and means and standard deviations of the study variables performed with SPSS (PASW Statistics 17). Pearson chi square will be conducted to

5 determine statistical significance of the variables and regression analysis will be done to assist in estimating relationships among the variables. The value of this research: The value of this project lends itself to the profession of PT and those entities who coordinate and provide physical therapy services through the understanding of current behaviors, operational and administrative support and the perceived treatment outcomes of the use of technology (apps and website access geared toward physical therapy) in physical therapy settings. This understanding can begin to define organizational strategies for operational efficiencies within the delivery system as well as advance efficacy of clinical practice. The ability of the therapist to use a standardized app or website can also provide opportunity for data collection within the health care organization for additional exploration. Anticipated start and completion dates: The physical therapy survey will require a UCF IRB application which will be submitted as soon as approval for the research is obtained. We hope to conduct the research in March 2014, with subsequent data analysis in July and August, Manuscript writing will also occur during this time for journal submission in September and October The estimated cost of the research effort: The research will be conducted by Dr. Alice Noblin, Dr. Kendall Cortelyou-Ward and Dr. Judi Schack Dugre, all of whom have significant experience in survey data collection. The Center for Innovative Healthcare staff will provide support with data collection, data analysis and presentation preparation. Drs. Ward and Noblin will allocate a portion of their research assignment (.9%, 1.0%) to ensuring that this data is collected and reported in a timely manner. Dr. Shack-Dugre is a subject matter expert (physical therapist) who will assist in survey formulation, data collection and results interpretation and will present the results at a National Conference (budget $850)

behaviors, operational and administrative support and the perceived treatment outcomes of the use of technology (apps and website access geared toward physical therapy) in physical therapy settings.

6 Survey participants will be recruited using the Florida Physical Therapist Association s online newsletter. The FPTA weekly newsletter is sent every Wednesday to over 4,500 FPTA members. The price for this advertising is $350 for two weeks. FINAL PRODUCT: In addition to a manuscript for publication in the Physical Therapy Journal and we will endeavor to present the findings at a future conference locally or nationally, such as the Combined Section Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association which will be held February 2015.

FINAL PRODUCT: In addition to a manuscript for publication in the Physical Therapy Journal and we will endeavor to present the

7 Appendix A: Possible survey questions: (strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree) I feel that mobile apps will improve my patients compliance with the treatment plan. I feel that mobile apps will improve my patients overall outcomes. I feel that mobile apps will improve my efficiency in treating my patients. I am aware of mobile apps available for physical therapists. I use mobile apps when providing services for my patients. I encourage my patients to use mobile apps. My patient population would utilize mobile apps if I recommend them. Mobile app usage is supported at my organization with appropriate infrastructure. Mobile app usage is supported at my organization through the leadership. How do you select appropriate apps? How would you describe your computer usage? What is your practice setting? What type of organization do you work for? What is your age? How long have you been a practicing physical therapist? What is your gender?

I am aware of mobile apps available for physical therapists. I use mobile apps when providing services for my patients. I encourage my patients to use mobile apps.

CURRICULUM VITAE. Rachel Baumsteiger. 2019 Ph.D., Concentration: Positive Developmental Psychology (expected) Claremont Graduate University

CURRICULUM VITAE. Rachel Baumsteiger. 2019 Ph.D., Concentration: Positive Developmental Psychology (expected) Claremont Graduate University CURRICULUM VITAE Rachel Baumsteiger CONTACT INFORMATION Academic Affiliation: Address: 150 E. 10th Street, Claremont, CA 91711 Email: rachel.baumsteiger@cgu.edu Phone: (727) 366-3606 EDUCATION 2019 Ph.D.,