Insights from a Shared-Decision Making Appointment Preparation Process in an Eczema Self-Monitoring Mobile Health App
Author(s)
Isabelle Thibau, MPH, Bryan Mantell, BS, Wendy Smith Begolka, MBS;
National Eczema Association, Research, Medical, & Clinical Affairs, Novato, CA, USA
National Eczema Association, Research, Medical, & Clinical Affairs, Novato, CA, USA
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: EczemaWise is a mobile health app and patient/caregiver self-monitoring tool for eczema that supports shared decision making (SDM). EczemaWise assists patients and caregivers in preparing for healthcare appointments through a 5-step structured “Appointment Prep” process including defining appointment objectives, ranking treatment priorities, completing standardized eczema quality of life assessments, and integrating tracking data with photos. A completed Appointment Prep results in a summary that can be shared with healthcare providers ahead of or during appointments. Herein we assess the utilization of Appointment Prep by EczemaWise users and characterize the information provided in each SDM preparatory domain.
METHODS: Analysis reviewed data from app users who made appointments between March 19, 2019 and November 20, 2024. Demographics including gender, race, age, and eczema relationship (Patient or Caregiver), and current eczema treatments listed in user profiles were examined. SkinDex-Mini scores (transformed 0-100), appointment focus areas, and common treatment concerns were assessed.
RESULTS: A total of 404 appointments were created by 357 app users. Appointment prep users were mostly female (72.28%), White (57.18%), Patient users (73.51%), mean (SD) patient age of 31.09 (17.41) years and with top 3 prescription treatments in profiles being topicals (37.96%) followed by biologic (9.16%) and systemic (6.68%). Average (SD) SkinDex-Mini score was 37.83 (17.77). Appointment focus areas revealed 30.51% of appointment goals were to discuss symptoms, 27.27% to explore additional treatment options, and 16.81% to get or change medication. Ranked treatment priorities showed avoiding serious side effects was most important (58.91%), followed by how well the treatment works (22.03%).
CONCLUSIONS: This research illustrates the potential of mobile health to enhance communication around eczema care and treatment decision making with healthcare providers by empowering users to actively engage in personalized care discussions, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
METHODS: Analysis reviewed data from app users who made appointments between March 19, 2019 and November 20, 2024. Demographics including gender, race, age, and eczema relationship (Patient or Caregiver), and current eczema treatments listed in user profiles were examined. SkinDex-Mini scores (transformed 0-100), appointment focus areas, and common treatment concerns were assessed.
RESULTS: A total of 404 appointments were created by 357 app users. Appointment prep users were mostly female (72.28%), White (57.18%), Patient users (73.51%), mean (SD) patient age of 31.09 (17.41) years and with top 3 prescription treatments in profiles being topicals (37.96%) followed by biologic (9.16%) and systemic (6.68%). Average (SD) SkinDex-Mini score was 37.83 (17.77). Appointment focus areas revealed 30.51% of appointment goals were to discuss symptoms, 27.27% to explore additional treatment options, and 16.81% to get or change medication. Ranked treatment priorities showed avoiding serious side effects was most important (58.91%), followed by how well the treatment works (22.03%).
CONCLUSIONS: This research illustrates the potential of mobile health to enhance communication around eczema care and treatment decision making with healthcare providers by empowering users to actively engage in personalized care discussions, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
PCR71
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Disease
SDC: Sensory System Disorders (Ear, Eye, Dental, Skin), SDC: Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)