Improving Care for Chronic Diseases: Informatics Intervention Model in Mobile Health Care Monitoring System

– Headed by Dr. Norshita Mat Nayan.

IMPROVING CARE: Mobile application development, chronic diseases, informatics intervention

Development of personal healthcare monitoring model for chronic disease based on informatics intervention in mobile health care monitoring system to improve care among users/patients. The finding of the research important to save human lives, take care of individual living, as a life protecting and lifesaving therapy, to improve lives healthcare quality, for long term health care and also for fitness and wellness demand. 

 INTRODUCTION OF RESEARCH

 Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are by far the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Out of the 35 million people who died from chronic disease in 2005, half were under 70 and half were women (WHO). Self-management has been defined as an individual’s ability to manage the clinical and psychosocial consequences, along with the lifestyle changes inherent in living with a chronic condition. Chronic disease self-management interventions, can lead to small, but statistically significant reductions in health service utilization. The clinical benefits of self-monitoring in chronic illness include reductions in stress, improvements in blood pressure, and reductions in mortality and adverse events. As a result, self-monitoring is part of recommended practice in a number of chronic conditions. The impact of self-monitoring on healthcare utilization is however unknown, but nevertheless an important outcome for interventions that are aimed at a population who are likely to require significant healthcare resources.

 This project adopts this strategy, and makes contributions towards two such aspects: 

• Development of a personal healthcare monitoring model that takes into consideration several factors, including constructs drawn from socio-cognitive theory – Self-efficacy and locus of control, and other factors corresponding to personal, demographic, disease related, socio-environmental and health context.
• Implementation of proposed model with a smart mobile application, with seamless integration, collaboration and communication features facilitating better self-management.

 Research Questions 

The changing role of patients towards increased self-responsibility in the management of their own condition is particularly evident in the case of chronic diseases. The evolution of chronic diseases from a serious and potentially fatal disease to a manageable chronic condition would not have been possible without patients gaining the knowledge and capability to adjust their lifestyle, and maintain their motivation and discipline every day in their life.  In addition, certain breakthrough developments can contribute to achieve better outcomes for management of the disease. For example, a breakthrough achieved in last decade is the self-monitoring of blood glucose, which freed patients from the need for regular hospitalizations or consultations. The evidence shows that self-monitoring of blood glucose can be more effective in helping patients stay motivated and implement the necessary lifestyle changes if it is used as a structured diabetes management program.