Strategies for the successful implementation of a novel iPhone Loaner System (iShare) in mHealth interventions: Prospective study

Abstract

Background: As smartphone ownership continues to rise, health care systems and technology companies are driven to develop mobile health (mHealth) interventions as both diagnostic and therapeutic tools. An important consideration during mHealth intervention development is how to achieve health equity despite demographic differences in smartphone ownership. One solution is through the recirculation of loaner smartphones; however, best practices for implementing such programs to optimize security, privacy, scalability, and convenience for participants are not well defined. Objective: In this tutorial, we describe how we implemented our novel Corrie iShare program, a 30-day loaner iPhone and smartwatch recirculation program, as part of a multi-center mHealth intervention to improve recovery and access to guideline-directed therapy following acute myocardial infarction. Methods: We conducted a prospective study utilizing a smartphone app and leveraged iOS enterprise features as well as cellular data service to automate recirculation. Results: Our configuration protocol was shortened from 1 hour to 10 minutes. Of 200 participants, 92 (46.0%) did not own an iPhone and would have been excluded from the study without iShare. Among iShare participants, 72% (66/92) returned their loaned smartphones. Conclusions: The Corrie iShare program demonstrates the potential for a sustainable and scalable mHealth loaner program, enabling broader population reach while optimizing user experience. Implementation may face institutional constraints and software limitations. Consideration should be given to optimizing loaner returns.