Exploring the Need for Mobile Application in Stroke Management by Informal Caregivers: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) has been considered as a prominent concept in digital health and is widely used and easily accessible. Periodic follow-up visits, previously planned procedures, and rehabilitation services for stroke survivors have been cut down during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, in this qualitative study we aimed to explore the need for a mobile application in stroke management by informal caregivers. METHODS: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted from November 2020 to June 2021. Thirteen respondents were recruited from two public rehabilitation centers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. In-depth interviews were conducted. A comprehensive representation of perspectives from the respondents was achieved through purposive sampling. The interviews were conducted in the Kelantanese dialect, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen participants were involved in the interviews. All of them agreed with the need for a mobile application in stroke management. They believed the future stroke application will help them to seek information, continuous stroke home care, and help in the welfare of caregivers and stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: The current study revealed two themes with respective subthemes that were identified, namely, self-seeking for information and reasons for using a stroke mobile application in the future. This application helps in reducing healthcare costs, enhancing the rehabilitation process, facilitating patient engagement in decision making, and the continuous monitoring of patient health.