Patient Perspectives on a Digital Mobile Health Application for RA

Figures & data

Table 1 Sex and Age of Respondents (N = 30)

Variable	Value (Percent)
Sex	Male (73%) Female (27%)
Age (years)	18–34 (33%) 35–44 (33%) 45–54 (20%) 55–60 (13%)

Table 2 Diagnosis and Management of RA

Variable	Value (Percent)	Mean (SD)
How long since diagnosed with RA (years)	–	6.97 (7.56)
Who made the initial diagnosis	Primary care specialist/GP (40%) Rheumatologist (60%)	–
Time from first symptoms to diagnosis (months)	–	5.85 (4.31)
Time from first visit with GP to rheumatologist appointment (months)	–	3.47 (3.15)
Who is responsible for follow up care	Rheumatologist (43%) Primary care physician/GP (33%) Primary care physician/GP and rheumatologist equally (23%)	–

Table 3 Respondents Who Use Apps to Manage RA

Variable	Value (Percent)
Currently using app to manage RA	Yes (53%) No (46%)
If physician recommended app, how likely would you be to use it	Very likely (60%) Likely (40%) Not very likely (0%) Not sure (0%)
Among those using an app: How did you find and choose an app	Online research (17%), Physician recommendation (20%), App store search (10%), Peer recommendation (13%), Pharmaceutical company (3%), Insurer (3%), Advertisement (7%), Website (13%).No response (13%)

Figure 1

 First preferred

 Second preferred

 Third preferred.

Table 4 Relationships Among Selected Variables

Question	Distribution (Percent) or Mean (Standard Deviation)	Are You Currently Using Any Apps to Manage Your RA? (Yes, No)	If a Mobile App That Met Your Needs in the Monitoring and Management of Your RA, Would You Be Willing to Pay a Subscription? (Yes, No, Unsure)
Age	18–34 (33%), 35–44 (33%), 45–54 (20%), 55–60 (13%)	n.s.	n.s.
Sex	Male (73%) Female (27%)	n.s.	n.s.
How many years ago were you diagnosed with RA?	6.97 (7.57)	n.s.^a	p < 0.01 ^b
Type of physician responsible for care	PCP/GP (33%) Rheumatologist (43%) Both (23%)	n.s.	n.s.
How often visit GP for RA treatment	0–2 times per year (43%) 3 or more times per year (57%)	n.s.	n.s.
How often visit Rheumatologist for RA treatment	0–2 times per year (50%) 3 or more times per year (50%)	n.s.	n.s.
How often do you have blood work done to track the progression of your RA?	0–2 times per year (50%) 3 or more times per year (50%)	n.s.	n.s.
How often do you have imaging done (X-rays, MRIs, ultrasound) to track the progression of your RA?	Once every 2 years or more (57%) Once every 3 years or less (43%)	n.s.	n.s.
As part of your treatment regimen, do you currently track your symptoms	Yes (70%) No (30%)	p < 0.05	n.s.
Has your physician ever recommended any mobile apps or online clinical assessment tools to help manage your RA?	Yes (66%) No (33%)	p < 0.01	n.s.
If your physician recommended an app to you, how likely would you be to use it?	Very likely (60%), Likely (40%) Not very likely (0%), Not sure (0%)	n.s.	p < 0.05
Are you currently using any mobile apps or devices to track other health outcomes, such as fitness or diet?	Yes (66%) No (33%)	n.s.	n.s.
Are you currently using any apps to manage your RA?	Yes (47%) No (53%)	—	n.s.
Are you currently using any mobile apps or devices to track other health outcomes, such as fitness or diet?	Yes (66%) No (33%)	n.s.	p < 0.05

Notes: All correlations determined with Chi-square tests unless otherwise noted; ^aPoint-biserial correlation = 0.034; ^bANOVA, F-statistic = 12.59, DF1 = 1, DF2 = 58.

Abbreviation: n.s., not significant.

Table 5 Willingness to Pay

Variable	Value (Percent)
If a mobile app met your needs, would you be willing to pay a subscription	Yes (33%) No (30%) Unsure (37%)
Ever paid a subscription to an app	Yes (30%) No (70%)
Ever made a one-time payment for an app	Yes (70%) No (30%)
Ever made an in-app purchase	Yes (53%) No (47%)
Ever collected points or incentives from an app that could be redeemed	Yes (63%) No (37%)
How would you prefer to pay if a cost were associated with an app	Percent reporting option as their first, second, and third choice: Pay for a subscription (13%,27%, 60%) Make a one-time payment (50%, 40%, 10%) Pay for features I will use (37%, 33%, 30%)