Your SMHS Mobile Care – a mobile health app for patients with spinal cord injury
Sharon Roberts1, Anne Watts1, Josef Pagel1, Christine Rimmer1, Johnson Paily1, Nicola Hunter1 1Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
Abstract
Currently there are approximately 1200 individuals living in Western Australia who have suffered from a catastrophic spinal cord injury (SCI) which has permanently affected not only their physical mobility, but their ability to care for themselves and to partake in activities of daily living. Patients face lifelong disability and often struggle with accessing accurate information.
Previously any patient education was provided to patients in a written, printed format, which is not environmentally sustainable, easily becomes outdated and was hard to access for patients who are unable to physically turn pages. The clinical team on the spinal unit (nursing, medical and allied health) discussed moving to a virtual platform and with the assistance from the innovation team and inpatients on the Spinal unit, were able to develop the SCI-App; a beta app which offers inpatients an accurate digital platform and personal rehabilitation timetable to assist in their care.
Phase one consisted of 29 programs, covering a multitude of relevant education modules, incorporating images and videos to engage patients and the use of goal setting so inpatients can champion their own rehabilitation through goal reflection. Key stakeholders and consumers provided feedback during each stage of development and ongoing changes have been made to enhance the interface and improve content.
The next phase will look at expanding the capability and functionality of the app to improve workflows and assist inpatients with accessing services beyond their hospital admission.
Acknowledgment would like to be given to the numerous clinical staff, innovation team members and inpatients who have worked on this project and are not listed as authors.
Biography
Sharon Roberts is a Senior Physiotherapist on the Spinal Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital, WA and is presenting on behalf of the clinical team (nursing, medical and allied health). Sharon has been working in the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation for over 15 years and is passionate about improving patient outcomes and accessibility post injury.