Abstract
There is an urgent need for individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia to learn and apply the recommended interventions for pulmonary rehabilitation. In the health literature, various studies showed that mobile health (m-health) applications play an important support role in managing health and coping with diseases. However, there is no m-health application yet for pulmonary rehabilitation specifically designed for COVID-19 patients. This chapter reports the development of “Covid Breathe” and its evaluation in terms of feasibility, safety, and effectiveness. A hundred patients with mild to moderate pneumonia were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. While 88% of the patients reported being very satisfied with the m-health application, no statistical difference in patient satisfaction between the groups was reported. Nevertheless, there was a statistically significant improvement in Modified Borg Scale, Dyspnea Score, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale parameters. The usage of this m-health app is therefore recommended for pulmonary rehabilitation.
TopIntroduction
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has spread worldwide in waves since the beginning of 2020, continues to affect all aspects of life negatively (Ansu-Kyeremeh & Goosen, 2022; Krishnaswami et al., 2022; Lamsal, 2022). Despite the unprecedented progress in the development of vaccines against the virus (Li et al., 2020), therapeutic advances are relatively limited (Mussini et al., 2021; Niknam et al., 2022). It seems that the pandemic will not end unless the widespread application of vaccines alone increases worldwide and is effective in preventing both SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the pandemic as a whole (Skegg et al., 2021). Therefore, effective treatment strategies against COVID-19 to supplement the vaccine option remain important.
The field of health education has recently experienced the proliferation of instructional technologies (Lobo, 2023; Miranda & Tolentino, 2023; Tavares et al., 2023). Some examples include an intelligent tutoring system (Garcia & Garcia, 2023), gamified pedagogies (Howard, 2023; Mustafa et al., 2022; Valderama et al., 2022), smart learning environments (Rao & Mokhtar, 2023), digital games (Luluquisin et al., 2021; Revano et al., 2018), machine learning applications (Mishra et al., 2023), and more (Almeida, 2023; Tomé & Coelho, 2023). As a result, both educators (Uunona & Goosen, 2023) and health professionals (Silva et al., 2023) need to adapt and learn how to maximize these new methodologies to better serve their students and patients, respectively. Garcia (2023) and Mustafa and Garcia (2021) asserted that technology adoption is consequently important to guarantee that the target users will be able to take advantage of these new opportunities. For instance, many video games have been developed to spread awareness of various health issues and improve health literacy. Parel et al. (2022) developed a horror video game using 3D hack-and-slash survival mechanics to promote awareness of persistent depressive disorder or the long-term form of depression. The same approach was used by Arayata et al. (2022) where a video game was developed to launch mental breakdown awareness campaigns. Finally, Cortez et al. (2022) developed a mobile game that advocates for the safety protocols and strategies for COVID-19. These instructional strategies consequently opened the opportunities for using technologies to provide health education (Barua et al., 2023; Garcia et al., 2023).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mobile Health: It refers to the use of mobile devices and wireless technology to provide healthcare services and information, such as mobile apps, text messaging, and remote monitoring.
Pneumonia: a lung infection that causes inflammation in one or both lungs. It can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation: It refers to a program of exercise, education, and support for individuals with chronic lung diseases to help improve their quality of life, increase their ability to perform daily activities, and decrease the frequency and severity of symptoms.
Telemedicine: It refers to the use of telecommunication and information technologies that allows healthcare professionals to consult, diagnose, and treat patients at a distance.
ADDIE: It is an acronym that stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation which provides a systematic and cyclical approach to designing and developing instructional materials and educational programs.
Informational Video: It refers to videos (e.g., instructional videos and how-to videos) that are created to inform or educate viewers about a specific topic or subject.