Development and Evaluation of a Self-management Mobile App for Adults with Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a self-management mobile app for adults with osteoarthritis based on a selfdetermination theory to use it as a nursing intervention tool, and to evaluate the effects of the developed mobile app on adults’ basic psychological needs, indexes of osteoarthritis, self-management and quality of life. Methods: The 56 participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=28) or the control group (n=28). The participants of the experimental group used a self-management mobile app for 12 weeks after the pretest, and two posttests were taken at the end of every 6 weeks. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS/WIN 25.0 for Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Basic psychological needs, indexes of osteoarthritis, self-management, and quality of life score of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that mobile app intervention can support improvements in psychological needs, symptoms of osteoarthritis and quality of life in adults with osteoarthritis. It is recommended that the developed mobile app be used as a nursing intervention tool for adults with osteoarthritis in the community.