Wearables and mobile applications : pharmacist-led patient monitoring

Abstract

Background: The healthcare industry is rapidly transforming with the emergence of digital health, particularly through mobile applications and wearable devices to offer easier patient monitoring. Despite their potential, barriers such as limited awareness and education restrict widespread adoption of digital technologies for patient monitoring. Community pharmacists, given their accessibility and trusted position as healthcare providers, are well positioned to contribute to bridge the digital gap between patients and digital health platforms. This study aimed to assess the use of mobile applications and wearable devices by patients to monitor their health, to identify challenges encountered by both patients and community pharmacists when using digital tools and to explore how pharmacists may empower patients to use these tools effectively. Method: A literature review of existing articles on digital technologies in healthcare was conducted to capture latest terminology and concepts. Two questionnaires were developed; one targeting patients and the other community pharmacists. The questionnaires were validated for content by a multidisciplinary panel comprising two physicians and two pharmacists for both questionnaires, with additional feedback from two laypersons for the patient version. The panel provided feedback on layout, clarity, and relevance contributing to the final version of concise and user-friendly questionnaires. The pharmacist questionnaires were distributed electronically via Google Forms through the registration body and respondents were allowed eight weeks for submission. For patients, hundred paper questionnaires in English and Maltese were distributed in ten geographically spread pharmacies across Malta and Gozo, selected by convenience sampling from the six districts in Malta. To ensure confidentiality, completed questionnaires were placed in a sealed box. Data collection was subsequently analysed for quantitative analysis. Results: From the patient questionnaires, 616 responses were collected. Only 30% of patients use mobile applications or wearable devices to monitor their health, with 74% of them having tertiary education, 70% being female and the majority residing in the Northern Harbour. The most monitored parameters were pulse (52%), sleep and calories (45%). Amongst non-users, 45% stated that lack of awareness and education regarding digital health was the main barrier that prevented them from using digital health monitoring tools. From the pharmacist questionnaires, 73 responses were collected. Of these, 56% had never recommended a mobile application or wearable device to patients. A large majority (85%) of community pharmacists reported not feeling adequately trained in digital health, while 99% stated more patient education about digital health is required. The main challenges pharmacists face when recommending digital health tools are difficulties in communicating with patients who lack understanding and insufficient knowledge about the latest technologies, which affects their confidence in recommending these tools. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate limited use of digital health among patients and highlight the pharmacists’ training needs. While patients primarily face barriers of awareness and education, pharmacists identify confidence and knowledge gaps as obstacles when promoting these tools. Addressing these issues could enhance the role of pharmacists as facilitators of digital health adoption.