Pilot Study to Assess the Impact of a Mobile Health Application (App) on Clinical Outcomes and Satisfaction of Older HIV-Infected Patients, as an Emerging Tool for Care, Education and Prevention.

Aging is the term used to describe the progressive loss of physical ability, changes in appearance, and/or decrease in mental agility that we experience over time. This process advances at different rates as a consequence of genetic and environmental factors.

Aging of the population can be considered a success of public health policies and socioeconomic development, although it also constitutes a challenge for society, which must adapt in order to improve the health and functional capacity of the elderly, as well as their social participation and their safety.

However, a recent major study on health and aging warned that the burden of chronic disease will considerably affect quality of life in aging patients.

The increase in the average age worldwide makes chronic diseases and the consequent reduction in well-being a prominent global public health challenge. One of the greatest challenges for a national health system is to achieve sustained care of people with chronic health problems (both physical and psychological).

HIV infection is a chronic disease. However, the life expectancy of affected patients has increased considerably thanks to advances in antiretroviral treatment. In 2015, around 50% of HIV-infected patients were ≥50 years old. It is estimated that by 2030, around 70% of the HIV-infected population in the United States of America will be aged ≥50 years.

Growing evidence in the scientific literature suggests an increased prevalence of long-term comorbidities associated with antiretroviral treatment and the infection itself compared with noninfected controls of the same age. In addition, aging could manifest 10 years earlier with respect to the general population.

As a result, HIV infection is an increasingly complex chronic disease associated with numerous medical, psychological, and social problems that require the attention and experience of a wide range of health specialists.

Information and communications technologies are a strategic element in improving health and ensuring a quality, modern, and sustainable health system. The development of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has shown how mobile applications (apps) have revolutionized health care (medical apps). Information and communications technologies could prove very useful in the care of patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. They could also play a role in the prevention of comorbid conditions.

Considering that HIV infection is a chronic disease, our objective was to determine the usefulness of an app designed specifically for HIV-infected patients aged ≥60 years. To do so, we evaluated the usability of the application in this population and assessed changes in patient satisfaction with and quality of health care.

Since we did not know how familiarized this population was with mobile apps, we set a dual main objective: 1) before the clinical trial, participants completed an 8-item survey to determine their interest in medical apps and thus determine appropriate sections of interest; 2) to determine the usability of a specific app among HIV-infected patients aged ≥60 years by assessing, at week 24, the percentage of subjects randomized to the app who used the app on more than 10 different days after baseline. A final analysis was performed at week 48 to determine usability at the end of the study.

The secondary objectives were as follows: 1) to identify the most frequently used items in the app by comparing the items used with those that the patients mentioned in a survey at week 48; 2) to compare the number of visits to the HIV Unit in each group (app and controls); 3) to compare patient satisfaction in the app group by means of an ad hoc test ranging from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) between baseline and week 48; 4) to compare the groups by assessing adherence (SERAD), quality of life (MOS), and a series of clinical parameters at week 48.