The Effect of a Mobile Health App on Treatment Adherence and Revenue at Physical Health Clinics: Retrospective Record Review.
Robert Topp, Jay Greenstein, Jena Etnoyer-Slaski
PMID 36889337WHAT IT FOUND
Patients who voluntarily downloaded a clinic app had more visits and generated more revenue than those who did not.
However, because patients chose whether to use the app, this difference may reflect their existing motivation rather than the app's effect.
Key findings
01The group that self-selected the app had a higher rate of provider discharge (52%) compared to the 2018 Usual Care group (51%) and the 2019 Usual Care group (46%).
02Patients using the app attended significantly more clinic visits (mean 13.21) than those in the usual care groups (mean 10.73 and 11.35).
03Revenue per patient was significantly higher in the app group (US $1513 payments) compared to the 2018 usual care group (US $1348).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Patients self-selected whether to use the app, so the groups were not randomly assigned. More motivated patients may have been more likely to download the app, confounding the results. The study did not monitor how much patients actually used the app, so it is unclear if engagement with the app features drove the outcomes. The data came from electronic medical records, which can have inconsistencies in how discharge status and visit counts are documented. The study compared a 2018 cohort to a 2019 cohort, introducing potential temporal confounders unrelated to the app.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the app caused improved adherence or revenue. Because patients chose whether to download the app, the results likely reflect that more motivated patients self-selected into the app group, rather than the app itself driving better outcomes.