Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Individuals with heart failure (HF) often are admitted to the hospital, or have other poor health effects, due to lack of adherence to diet and medical therapies. The aim of the proposed research is to determine if mobile-health (mHealth) technologies, like the use of mobile applications, can help individuals with heart failure learn about diet and medications and thus follow the instructions from health care providers better. This project includes two qualitative studies that apply a phenomenological approach; Study A among HF patients and Study B among health care providers. Focus groups and/or individual interviews will be used to gather information regarding the views of patients and health care providers on the use of mHealth technology for the management of heart failure. Descriptive analysis will be used to analyze sociodemographic information and study data will be analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Knowledge gained from this study can be used in the development of a cutting-edge app, with the goal of improving health outcomes in heart failure patients.