Advisory Committee Chair
Amy Landry
Advisory Committee Members
Sue Feldman
K Ria Hearld
O Elijah Asagbra
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2023
Degree Name by School
Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) School of Health Professions
Abstract
Background: Mobile apps are rapidly becoming an essential tool for hospitals to be competitive in a rapidly evolving healthcare market driven by patient expectations. The effectiveness of mobile apps is not fully understood, and more research needs to be done to evaluate their impact on patient satisfaction. More specifically, the role of patient engagement in this relationship needs to be investigated, given the rapid improvement in health behavior-changing mobile apps.Objective: This study aimed to examine (1) whether hospitals providing mobile apps are associated with higher patient satisfaction and patient engagement scores, (2) whether mobile app usability impacts this relationship, and (3) whether patient engagement plays a mediating role in the relationship between mobile app usability and patient satisfaction. Methods: A survey was conducted in eight hospitals in Bahrain to measure mobile app usability, patient engagement, and patient satisfaction. A total of 275 patient responses were collected from the outpatient clinics. A t-test was used to compare the scores of hospitals that provided mobile apps with those that did not. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the three variables: app usability, patient engagement, and patient satisfaction. Finally, a path analysis was used to determine whether patient engagement mediates the relationship between mobile app usability and patient satisfaction. Results: For the eight hospitals included in the study, patient satisfaction means were higher for hospitals with apps (M= 26.9, SD=0.27) than those without apps (M= 25.3, SD=0.41). Similarly, patient engagement means were higher for hospitals with apps (M= 23.6, SD=0.23) than hospitals without apps engagement (M= 22.4, SD=0.33). Mobile App usability was significantly associated with patient engagement (β = .101, p < .001) and patient satisfaction (β = .101, p < .001). Patient engagement was significantly associated with patient satisfaction (β = .651, p < .001). Only partial patient engagement mediation (z= 2.82, p<0.05) was observed for the relationship between mobile app usability and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: This study represents one of few investigations combining mobile app usability, patient engagement, and patient satisfaction. The study's findings suggest that patient engagement can be viewed as a vital capability for hospitals to capitalize on when deploying mobile apps. As mobile apps continue to progress, this study can serve as a basis for assessing the impact of mobile apps. A limitation of this study is the exclusion of two constructs of usability, “ease of use and information arrangement,” which future studies can investigate.
Recommended Citation
Alkhalifa, Khaled Hamad, "An Examination Of The Relationship Between Mobile Apps And Healthcare Outcomes: A Patient Engagement And Patient Satisfaction Perspective" (2023). All ETDs from UAB. 3471.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3471
