The goal of this initiative is to help patients and caregivers choose a treatment option for appendicitis, a common childhood aliment that sends some 80,000 young people into ERs each year. According to Nationwide Children’s, many of these cases could be treated using antibiotics alone. The goal of the research is to determine if clinical information and patient activation strategies presented using common digital interfaces, like interactive video within an iPad app, can improve the ability of children and caregivers to make treatment decisions.
This mobile app will also serve as a first-of-its-kind proof-of-concept project to see how well patients absorb information digitally in a healthcare setting — potentially opening the door for a myriad of uses. Mobile apps like these could become prevalent as practitioners look for new ways to become even more proactive partners with their patients.
This project qualified for a prestigious Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award of $1.6M. “The PCORI award to [lead researchers] Dr. Deans and Dr. Minneci is an extraordinary achievement, given the intense national competition,” says Dr. John Barnard, president of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Their expertise in clinical and outcomes research is a unique asset for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, especially in the current environment of health care reform.”
This mobile app will feature three layers: one for patients to engage them in their care and help them learn about appendicitis and their treatment options, one for doctors and clinicians to access use-related information so they can see how well the app is being received in real-time, and then an interface for researchers compiling data for the longitudinal study.
The app will measure over 60 data points such as time of use, which avatars are selected by which age groups, and the decisions made by patients and their families. All of these metrics are designed to test the validity of delivering health-related information via a video/digital interface.
