Barriers to Postdischarge Smartphone App Use Among Patients With Traumatic Rib Fractures

TL;DR

This study explores why patients with rib fractures struggle to use a smartphone app after hospital discharge, highlighting barriers to mobile health adoption in trauma care.

Contribution

The paper introduces an analysis of barriers to using a smartphone app for postdischarge recovery monitoring in patients with traumatic rib fractures.

Findings

Patient, institutional, and process-related obstacles limited smartphone app use.

Implementation science frameworks are needed to integrate mobile health tools effectively in trauma care.

Abstract

Rib fractures commonly result from traumatic injury and often require hospitalization for pain control and supportive pulmonary care. Although the use of mobile health technology to share patient-generated health data has increased, it remains limited in patients with traumatic injuries. We sought to assess the feasibility of mobile health tracking in patients with rib fractures by using a smartphone app to monitor postdischarge recovery. We encountered patient, institutional, and process-related obstacles that limited app use. The success of future work requires the acknowledgment of these limitations and the use of an implementation science framework to effectively integrate technological tools for personalized trauma care.

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