Pilot feasibility of an mHealth system for conducting ecological momentary assessment of mood-related symptoms following traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed pilot feasibility and validity of a mobile health (mHealth) system for tracking mood-related symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI).


METHODS
A prospective, repeated measures design was used to assess compliance with daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) conducted via a smartphone application over an 8-week period.


METHODS
An mHealth system was developed specifically for individuals with TBI and utilized previously validated tools for depressive and anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). Feasibility was assessed in 20 community-dwelling adults with TBI via an assessment of compliance, satisfaction and usability of the smartphone applications. The authors also developed and implemented a clinical patient safety management mechanism for those endorsing suicidality.


RESULTS
Participants correctly completed 73.4% of all scheduled assessments, demonstrating good compliance. Daily assessments took <2 minutes to complete. Participants reported high satisfaction with smartphone applications (6.3 of 7) and found them easy to use (6.2 of 7). Comparison of assessments obtained via telephone-based interview and EMA demonstrated high correlations (r = 0.81-0.97), supporting the validity of conducting these assessments via smartphone application in this population.


CONCLUSIONS
EMA conducted via smartphone demonstrates initial feasibility among adults with TBI and presents numerous opportunities for long-term monitoring of mood-related symptoms in real-world settings.
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .
Shannon B
SB
Juengst
b Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
Kristin M
KM
Graham
c Department of Health Information Management , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
I Wayan
IW
Pulantara
b Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
Michael
M
McCue
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .|d Department of Psychiatry .
Ellen M
EM
Whyte
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .|b Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
Brad E
BE
Dicianno
c Department of Health Information Management , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
Bambang
B
Parmanto
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .
Patricia M
PM
Arenth
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .|e Department of Occupational Therapy , School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences .
Elizabeth R D
ER
Skidmore
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , School of Medicine .|f Center for Neuroscience , and.|g Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA.
Amy K
AK
Wagner
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D040421:Cell Phone; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*
Depression; mental health assessments; rehabilomics; telehealth tools; traumatic brain injury