ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0096-6318
Current Organisations
University of Queensland
,
University of Melbourne
,
Deakin University
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Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-10-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.10.06.21264603
Abstract: Globally, stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, with most care undertaken by caregivers who are generally family and friends without prior experience of care. The lack of experience or unpreparedness results in feelings of uncertainty, burnout, anxiety, burden, etc. Hence, it is necessary to identify the needs of caregivers to support them in their caregiving journey better and improve the quality of care delivered. The study employed a grounded theory methodology that utilizes information gathered from literature reviews and social media to represent the needs and create a storyline visually. The storyline is further refined and evaluated using an online survey of 72 participants recruited through online stroke caregiving communities. The study identified four core categories of needs, i.e., information, involvement, self-care and support that need to be delivered at appropriate times to ensure the caregivers feel prepared to assume their role of care and are supported throughout the care trajectory. There is a need to create a caregiver-centered approach in stroke recovery to ensure limited obstruction to care and reduced uncertainty in recovery. Moreover, through the inclusion of caregivers in the recovery process, it may be possible to reduce the burden of care to the caregiver and ensure the satisfaction of the healthcare system throughout recovery.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1177/20552076221089070
Abstract: Caregiving in stroke is complex, with most carers having little to no preparation to care for in iduals with a history of stroke, leading to emotional impact. Technologies such as Mobile Health can provide the carer with real-time support and prepare the carer to assume their new roles and responsibilities. To perform a heuristic evaluation of mHealth interventions designed to support carers of in iduals with a history of stroke and determine the user preferences in stroke caregiving technology to inform future researchers and developers regarding the best practices to support these in iduals. Twenty adults (i.e. 10 usability experts and 10 carers) participated in an iterative user-centred design study that focused on developing and modifying the mHealth intervention (StrokeCaregiver (SeCr)) created to support stroke caregiving. The intervention was repeated in four cycles, including two cycles with five usability experts each and five carers each. SeCr was iteratively improved to develop a highly usable product in multiple cycles. Participants demonstrated critical needs in personalized information support, communication with their healthcare needs, and the trust of the user, content, and developer. These critical needs are required to be met to promote long-term acceptance and adherence. While SeCr was developed to address the needs of carers of in iduals with a history of stroke, several considerations must be made to ensure it can be used in a real-world setting. Researchers and developers can use co-design or living lab approaches to further meet the needs and expectations of the carer and enable these in iduals to be better prepared for stroke caregiving.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2022
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 25-01-2022
Abstract: eople with heart failure are supported by healthcare providers who follow clinical guidelines, and they are also encouraged to participate in self-care behaviors. However, the management of heart failure is complex. Innovative solutions are required to support healthcare providers with decision-making and to support people with heart failure to sustain appropriate self-care behaviors. In recent years, more sophisticated technologies have emerged within healthcare practice. These technologies use data collection, intelligent data processing, and communication to enable new models of healthcare, such as smart health ecosystems, to assist diagnosis and treatment of conditions, support patients in managing a condition, and monitor patients to support disease prevention. Currently, there is little information about the behavioral and technical characteristics of smart health ecosystems for people with heart failure. e aimed to identify and describe the characteristics of smart health ecosystems that support self-care for people with heart failure. e conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases were searched from January 2008 to September 2021. The search strategy focused on studies that described smart health ecosystems to support self-care among people with heart failure. Two reviewers screened studies at the title and abstract level, and full text then extracted relevant data from the included full texts. fter removing duplicates, 1543 articles were screened, and 34 articles were identified, representing 13 interventions. Articles represented study designs from different stages of the e-health development cycle conceptual and planning (n=6), development and usability (n=14), pilot/feasibility (n=2), effectiveness testing (n=9), implementation (n=1), all phases (n=2). They collected data from the end user with sensors and questionnaires and used tailoring to provide personalized support. Interventions supported heart failure self-care behaviors using 34 different behavior change techniques (BCTs), which were facilitated by a combination of 8 intervention features automated feedback, monitoring (integrated and manual input), presentation of data, education, reminders, communication with a healthcare provider and psychological support. Furthermore, features to support healthcare providers included the presentation of data, alarms, and alerts, communication with the end user, remote care plan modification, health record integration, and communication with other members of the care team. his scoping review identified that there are few reports of smart health ecosystems to support self-care among people with heart failure, and those that have been reported do not provide comprehensive support across all domains of self-care. Further research on implementation and effectiveness is required. This review outlines the behavioral and technical components of the identified interventions this information can be used as a starting point for designing and testing future smart health ecosystem interventions.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 31-08-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JONM.13439
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 02-11-2022
DOI: 10.2196/36773
Abstract: The management of heart failure is complex. Innovative solutions are required to support health care providers and people with heart failure with decision-making and self-care behaviors. In recent years, more sophisticated technologies have enabled new health care models, such as smart health ecosystems. Smart health ecosystems use data collection, intelligent data processing, and communication to support the diagnosis, management, and primary and secondary prevention of chronic conditions. Currently, there is little information on the characteristics of smart health ecosystems for people with heart failure. We aimed to identify and describe the characteristics of smart health ecosystems that support heart failure self-care. We conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases were searched from January 2008 to September 2021. The search strategy focused on identifying articles describing smart health ecosystems that support heart failure self-care. A total of 2 reviewers screened the articles and extracted relevant data from the included full texts. After removing duplicates, 1543 articles were screened, and 34 articles representing 13 interventions were included in this review. To support self-care, the interventions used sensors and questionnaires to collect data and used tailoring methods to provide personalized support. The interventions used a total of 34 behavior change techniques, which were facilitated by a combination of 8 features for people with heart failure: automated feedback, monitoring (integrated and manual input), presentation of data, education, reminders, communication with a health care provider, and psychological support. Furthermore, features to support health care providers included data presentation, alarms, alerts, communication tools, remote care plan modification, and health record integration. This scoping review identified that there are few reports of smart health ecosystems that support heart failure self-care, and those that have been reported do not provide comprehensive support across all domains of self-care. This review describes the technical and behavioral components of the identified interventions, providing information that can be used as a starting point for designing and testing future smart health ecosystems.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 26-11-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2021.758808
Abstract: Globally, there is a rise in incident cases of stroke, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, due to obesity-related and lifestyle risk factors, including health issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. Since the early 20th century, stroke mortality has declined due to proper management of the risk factors and improved treatment practices. However, despite the decline in mortality, there is an increase in the levels of disability that requires long-term support. In countries such as Australia and Denmark, where most care is provided within the community family members, generally spouses, assume the role of caregiver, with little to no preparation that affects the quality of care provided to the person living with stroke. While past research has highlighted aspects to improve caregiver preparedness of stroke and its impact on care health planning, recovery, and public health policies rarely consider these factors, reducing engagement and increasing uncertainty. Hence, there is a need to focus on improving strategies during recovery to promote caregiver engagement. In this study, we, therefore, try to understand the needs of the caregiver in stroke that limit engagement, and processes employed in countries such as Australia and Denmark to provide care for the person with stroke. Based on our understanding of these factors, we highlight the potential opportunities and challenges to promote caregiving engagement in these countries.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-03-2023
Abstract: Prescription request applications (apps) have changed the way consumers can obtain prescription-only medications. However, there is a lack of research surrounding such apps and their potential risks to consumers. We conducted an Australian study to (1) identify and characterise prescription request apps available in Australia and (2) assess whether prescription request apps in Australia adhere to guidelines for safe prescribing. Three online platforms (iOS App Store, Google Play store and Google search engine) were searched using 14 different search terms. Prescription request apps were identified based on pre-defined inclusion criteria. To determine whether the prescription request apps adhere to a safe prescribing framework, five medications were selected, and their corresponding consultation questionnaires were assessed against the Australian National Prescribing Service MedicineWise 12 core competencies for safe prescribing. A total of seven prescription request apps were identified. Assessment of the prescription request apps revealed that none of the apps provided prescribers with sufficient information to meet all the competencies required for safe prescribing rather, they inconsistently adhered to the safe prescribing framework. Thus, consumers and healthcare professionals should consider the implications and safety concerns of obtaining medications via prescription request apps.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-12-2021
DOI: 10.1002/NUR.22096
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 16-04-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2021.647249
Abstract: The rise in the number of cases of stroke has resulted in a significant burden on the healthcare system. As a result, the majority of care for the person living with stroke occurs within the community, resulting in caregivers being a central and challenged agent in care. To better support caregivers during the recovery trajectory poststroke, we investigated the role of health technologies to promote education and offer various kinds of support. However, the introduction of any new technology comes with challenges due to the growing need for more user-centric systems. The integration of user-centric systems in stroke caregiving has the potential to ensure long-term acceptance, success, and engagement with the technology, thereby ensuring better care for the person living with stroke. We first briefly characterize the affordances of available technologies for stroke caregiving. We then discuss key methodological issues related to the acceptance to such technologies. Finally, we suggest user-centered design strategies for mitigating such challenges.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-01-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0262919
Abstract: Caregivers often use the internet to access information related to stroke care to improve preparedness, thereby reducing uncertainty and enhancing the quality of care. Social media communities used by caregivers of people affected by stroke were identified using popular keywords searched for using Google. Communities were filtered based on their ability to provide support to caregivers. Data from the included communities were extracted and analysed to determine the content and level of interaction. There was a significant rise in the use of social media by caregivers of people affected by stroke. The most popular social media communities were charitable and governmental organizations with the highest user interaction–this was for topics related to stroke prevention, signs and symptoms, and caregiver self-care delivered through video-based resources. Findings show the ability of social media to support stroke caregiver needs and practices that should be considered to increase their interaction and support.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-03-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2023.1092755
Abstract: Several research studies have demonstrated the potential of mobile health apps in supporting health management. However, the design and development process of these apps are rarely presented. We present the design and development of a smartphone-based lifestyle app integrating a wearable device for hypertension management. We used an intervention mapping approach for the development of theory- and evidence-based intervention in hypertension management. This consisted of six fundamental steps: needs assessment, matrices, theoretical methods and practical strategies, program design, adoption and implementation plan, and evaluation plan. To design the contents of the intervention, we performed a literature review to determine the preferences of people with hypertension (Step 1) and necessary objectives toward the promotion of self-management behaviors (Step 2). Based on these findings, we implemented theoretical and practical strategies in consultation with stakeholders and researchers (Steps 3), which was used to identify the functionality and develop an mHealth app (Step 4). The adoption (Step 5) and evaluation (Step 6) of the mHealth app will be conducted in a future study. Through the needs analysis, we identified that people with hypertension preferred having education, medication or treatment adherence, lifestyle modification, alcohol and smoking cessation and blood pressure monitoring support. We utilized MoSCoW analysis to consider four key elements, i.e., education, medication or treatment adherence, lifestyle modification and blood pressure support based on past experiences, and its potential benefits in hypertension management. Theoretical models such as (i) the information, motivation, and behavior skills model, and (ii) the patient health engagement model was implemented in the intervention development to ensure positive engagement and health behavior. Our app provides health education to people with hypertension related to their condition, while utilizing wearable devices to promote lifestyle modification and blood pressure management. The app also contains a clinician portal with rules and medication lists titrated by the clinician to ensure treatment adherence, with regular push notifications to prompt behavioral change. In addition, the app data can be reviewed by patients and clinicians as needed. This is the first study describing the design and development of an app that integrates a wearable blood pressure device and provides lifestyle support and hypertension management. Our theory-driven intervention for hypertension management is founded on the critical needs of people with hypertension to ensure treatment adherence and supports medication review and titration by clinicians. The intervention will be clinically evaluated in future studies to determine its effectiveness and usability.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 31-01-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0281198
Abstract: Globally, stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, with most care undertaken by caregivers who are generally family and friends without prior experience of care. The lack of experience or unpreparedness results in feelings of uncertainty, burnout, anxiety, burden, etc. Hence, it is necessary to identify the needs of caregivers to better support them in their caregiving journey and improve the quality of care delivered. The study employed a grounded theory methodology that utilizes information gathered from literature reviews and social media to represent the needs and create a storyline visually. The storyline is further refined and evaluated using an online survey of 72 participants recruited through online stroke caregiving communities. The study identified four core categories of needs: (i) Information: sufficient information delivered in layman’s terms based on the in idual situation of the caregiver and survivor through oral and hands-on demonstrations, (ii) Involvement: inclusion in the decision-making processes at different stages of recovery through face-to-face communication at the hospital, (iii) Self-care: ability to engage in work and leisure activities, (iv) Support: receive support in the form of resources, services and finances from different other stakeholders. There is a need to create a caregiver-centered approach in stroke recovery to ensure limited obstruction to care and reduced uncertainty in stroke recovery. Moreover, through the inclusion of caregivers in stroke recovery, it may be possible to reduce the burden of care to the caregiver and ensure the satisfaction of the healthcare system throughout stroke recovery.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 25-05-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2023.1027667
Abstract: Existing research has demonstrated the potential of mHealth apps in improving the caregiving outcomes of stroke. Since most of the apps were published in commercially available app stores without explaining their design and evaluation processes, it is necessary to identify the user experience issues to promote long-term adherence and usage. The purpose of this study was to utilize published user reviews of commercially available apps to determine the user experience issues to guide future app development in stroke caregiving. User reviews were extracted from the previously identified 46 apps that support stroke caregiving needs using a python-scraper. The reviews were pre-processed and filtered using python scripts to consider English reviews that described issues faced by the user. The final corpus was categorized based on TF-IDF vectorization and k-means clustering technique, and the issues extracted from the various topics were classified based on the seven dimensions of user experience to highlight factors that may affect the usage of the app. A total of 117,364 were extracted from the two app stores. After filtration, 13,368 reviews were included and classified based on the user experience dimensions. Findings highlight critical issues that affect the usability, usefulness, desirability, findability, accessibility, credibility, and value of the app that contribute to decreased satisfaction and increased frustration. The study identified several user experience issues due to the inability of the app developers to understand the needs of the user. Further, the study describes the inclusion of a participatory design approach to promote an improved understanding of user needs therefore, limiting any issues and ensuring continued use.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 10-09-2021
Abstract: troke caregivers often experience negative impacts when caring for a person living with a stroke. Technologically based interventions such as mHealth apps have demonstrated potential in supporting the caregivers during the recovery trajectory. Hence, there is an increase in apps in popular app stores, with a few apps addressing the healthcare needs of stroke caregivers. Since most of these apps were published without explanation of their design and evaluation processes, it is necessary to identify the usability and user experience issues to help app developers and researchers to understand the factors that affect long-term adherence and usage in stroke caregiving technology. he purpose of this study was to determine the usability and user experience issues in commercially available mHealth apps from the user reviews published within the app store to help researchers and developers understand the factors that may affect long-term adherence and usage. ser reviews were extracted from the previously identified 47 apps that support stroke caregiving needs using a python-scraper for both app stores (i.e. Google Play Store and Apple App Store). The reviews were pre-processed to (i) clean the dataset and ensure unicode normalization, (ii) remove stop words and (iii) group words together with similar meanings. The pre-processed reviews were filtered using sentiment analysis to exclude positive and non-English reviews. The final corpus was classified based on usability and user experience dimensions to highlight issues within the app. f 1,385,337 user reviews, only 162,095 were extracted due to the limitations in the app store. After filtration based on the sentiment analysis, 15,818 reviews were included in the study and were filtered based on the usability and user experience dimensions. Findings from the usability and user experience dimensions highlight critical errors/effectiveness, efficiency and support that contribute to decreased satisfaction, affect and emotion and frustration in using the app. ommercially available mHealth apps consist of several usability and user experience issues due to their inability to understand the methods to address the healthcare needs of the caregivers. App developers need to consider participatory design approaches to promote user participation in design. This might ensure better understanding of the user needs and methods to support these needs therefore, limiting any issues and ensuring continued use.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 02-10-2022
Abstract: everal research studies have demonstrated the potential of mobile health applications (apps) in supporting health management. However, the design and development process of these apps are rarely presented. e present the design and development of a smartphone-based lifestyle app integrating a wearable device for hypertension management. e used an intervention mapping approach for the development of theory- and evidence-based interventions for problem identification, problem-solving and mitigation strategies. This consisted of six fundamental steps of the intervention mapping approach: needs assessment, matrices, theoretical methods and practical strategies, program design, adoption and implementation plan, and evaluation plan. To design the contents of the intervention, we performed a literature review to determine the opinions and preferences of people with hypertension and implemented theoretical and practical strategies to support these needs in consultation with stakeholders and researchers. hrough the needs analysis, we identified that people with hypertension preferred having education, medication or treatment adherence, lifestyle modification, alcohol and smoking cessation and blood pressure monitoring support to manage their condition. Out of which, the authors utilized MoSCoW analysis to focus on four key elements, i.e., education, medication or treatment adherence, lifestyle modification and blood pressure support due to past experiences in developing interventions for hypertension, and its potential benefits in hypertension management. Theoretical models such as (i) the information, motivation, and behaviour skills (IMB) model, and (ii) the patient health engagement (PHE) model was implemented in the intervention development to ensure positive engagement and health behaviour. The app developed provides education to people with hypertension related to their condition, while utilizing wearable devices to promote lifestyle modification and blood pressure support. The app also contains rules and medication lists titrated by the clinician to ensure treatment adherence, with regular push notifications to prompt behavioural change. In addition, the app data can be reviewed by patients and clinicians as needed. his is the first study describing the development of an app that integrates a wearable blood pressure device and provides lifestyle support and hypertension management. Our theory-driven intervention for self-management of hypertension is founded on the critical needs of people with hypertension to ensure treatment adherence and supports medication review and titration by clinicians. The intervention will be evaluated clinically in future studies to determine its effectiveness and usability.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 10-2021
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS202110.0015.V1
Abstract: Background: Caregivers often use the internet to access information related to stroke care to improve preparedness, thereby reducing uncertainty and enhancing the quality of care. Method: Social media communities used by caregivers of people affected by stroke were identified using popular keywords searched for using Google. Communities were filtered based on their ability to provide support to caregivers. Data from the included communities were extracted and analysed to determine the content and level of interaction. Results: There was a significant rise in the use of social media by caregivers of people affected by stroke. The most popular social media communities were charitable and governmental organizations with the highest user interaction & ndash this was for topics related to stroke prevention, signs and symptoms, and caregiver self-care delivered through video-based resources. Conclusion: Findings show the ability of social media to support stroke caregiver needs and practices that should be considered to increase their interaction and support.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-10-2023
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 07-02-2022
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS202202.0093.V1
Abstract: (1) Background: Existing research has demonstrated the potential of mHealth apps in improving the caregiving outcomes of stroke. Since several apps were published in commercially available app stores without explaining their design and evaluation processes, it is necessary to identify the usability and user experience issues to promote long-term adherence and usage (2) Methods: User reviews were extracted from the 47 previously identified apps that support stroke caregiving needs using a python-scraper. The reviews were pre-processed and filtered using python scripts. The final corpus was classified based on usability and user experience dimensions to highlight issues within the app (3) Results: A total of 162,095 were extracted from the two app stores. After filtration, 15,818 reviews were included and classified based on the usability and user experience dimensions. Findings highlight critical issues related to the errors/effectiveness, efficiency and support that contribute to decreased satisfaction, emotion and frustration in using the app (4) Conclusion: The study identified several usability and user experience issues due to the inability of the app developers to understand the needs of the user. Further, the study describes the inclusion of a participatory design approach to promote an improved understanding of user needs therefore, limiting any issues and ensuring continued use.
No related grants have been discovered for Elton Lobo.