An mHealth-based Healthcare Professional-Lay Health Worker Partnership Program (mHLPP)

A Feasibility Study of an mHealth-based Healthcare Professional-Lay Health Worker Partnership Program (mHLPP) Among Community-dwelling Impoverished Older Adults

The project aimed at training female food delivery workers from Food Angel to perform basic health checks for older adults living alone in the community.

After undergoing training, the female delivery workers will be equipped with basic health knowledge and the ability to measure physical vital signs, including blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, and pulse and pain indices, for around 100 older adults when they visit them to deliver meals. The health data collected by the delivery workers will be uploaded to the mHealth monitoring platform developed by Prof. Arkers Wong's research team. Registered nurses (RNs) will be given access to the platform to evaluate the health status of the older adults. When needed, an RN will give in-depth personal care and interventions via the mHealth app to the older adults. Referrals to allied health professionals or social workers can also be made by the RNs for early interventions.

The team hope that this first-of-its-kind grassroots community health model, undertaken in combination with the Health-Social Partnership, will provide scientific research evidence for the Hong Kong government to consider introducing the mHealth app and the service model to the community as a way to strengthen primary healthcare.

The mHealth app is a pilot health management mobile app with an interactive nurse support function. The app enables nurses to monitor the health status of users and allow users to communicate with nurses when they have health concerns. Research findings released by the team in March 2023 showed that older adults' use of the app for 3 to 6 months resulted in a significant increase in self-efficacy, a significant decrease in depression levels, a reduction in the use of medical services, and an improvement in quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 60 or over
• member of the NGO (implying that they are not receiving any Government subsidize and their monthly income is less than HKD$ 6,050)
• living within the service area of the NGO
• able to sign an informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• being diagnosed with dementia
• inability to communicate
• being bed-bound
• having an active psychiatric illness with recent hospital admission within the last six months
• being already engaged in other mHealth studies.