Top Things to Know: Harnessing Mobile Health Technology for Secondary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Older Adults
Published: April 01, 2021
- mHealth is defined as ‘the use of mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives’ and includes voice and short messaging service (SMS; i.e., text messaging), global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth technologies, and wearable garments or accessories that provide physiologic monitoring.
- Two-thirds of all patients with CVD are over the age of 60, and this is the fastest growing demographic globally.
- This scientific statement describes studies that have used mHealth technology for secondary CVD prevention in older adults (>60 years old) and reviews the benefits and challenges of mHealth applications in this population.
- In contrast to mHealth, telemedicine is a separate type of eHealth focused on ‘the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology’ (e.g., remote cardiac rehabilitation).
- The major barriers identified for mHealth usage and adoption among older adults include affordability, usability, privacy, and security issues. Despite perceived barriers of technology usage and adoption among older adults, over 80% of Americans aged 60 years and older own a cell phone and spend >50% of daily leisure time in front of screens.
- Novel sensing and communication technologies hold promise for monitoring, prompting, encouraging, and educating older adults with CVD who are more prone to adverse events secondary to co-morbid conditions, polypharmacy, and declines in functional status.
- SMS or app-based reminders can prompt patients in real-time to take medications which can help address non-compliance due to forgetfulness or cognitive impairment in older adults with CVD.
- The internet of things (IoT), a network of devices connected by the internet and capable of receiving and sharing electronic information, could help address current patient and provider mHealth challenges related to data capture, transfer, and interpretation, while supporting behavioral changes necessary to improve CVD risk factor management.
- As mHealth continues to evolve, it is critical to engage older adults in the development, optimization, and application of new technologies and devices.
- Effective, widely accepted, and time-efficient mHealth interventions to improve CVD health in adults aged 60 years and older should be a top health priority.
Citation
Schorr EN, Gepner AD, Dolansky MA, Forman DE, Park LG, Petersen KS, Still CH, Wang TY, Wenger NK; on behalf of the American Heart Association Cardiovascular Disease in Older Populations Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; and Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Harnessing mobile health technology for secondary cardiovascular disease prevention in older adults: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2021;14:e000103. doi: 10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000103