Abstract TP317: Mobile Technology Profile of Stroke Survivors and Caregivers: Preliminary Results from a National Survey

Background: Recent estimates are that approximately 110 million Americans have access to nearly 14,000 health-related apps. There is a paucity in applications specific for stroke, either survivors or caregivers. Objective: Qualitative survey of stroke survivors and caregivers’ needs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors concerning mobile technology (m-TECH) was assessed through an online medium. Methods: National Stroke Association (NSA) elicited responses from a random, national sample of 601 stroke survivors and caregivers. The 25-question survey asked about how stroke survivors and caregivers track their health information, use smartphones and available health-related applications, and their perceived needs and preferences for a potential smartphone application. Data were collected on demographics, health tracking behavior, smartphone and mobile health application use, and interest in health management applications. Responses were collected through open source online survey application, LimeSurvey. Results: Thirty-five (6%) individuals (range 18-91+ years; 55% female) completed the survey, evenly split between: stroke survivors and caregivers; 41% completed some college. The majority of respondents (73%) tracked their health information to manage risk factors to prevent stroke: medication tracking (82%), monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol (77%), and managing medical appointments (73%). The greatest barrier to tracking health information was forgetfulness (41%). Half owned smartphones, with 27% Android users and 14% iPhone users, with almost half (45%) reporting to have downloaded applications on their smartphones that they used (41%), including multiple times a day (32%). Additionally, 23% of the smartphone users reported using their phones to track health information. Majority (60%) of respondents expressed interest in smartphone apps that can help managing health information and half (50%) were interested in helping with the application development. Conclusions: Recognizing concern over generalizability, these preliminary results suggest a clear need for patient-centered mobile health applications in personal health management tailored specifically for stroke survivors and caregivers.