Pilot feasibility of an mHealth system for conducting ecological momentary assessment of mood-related symptoms following traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed pilot feasibility and validity of a mobile health (mHealth) system for tracking mood-related symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: A prospective, repeated measures design was used to assess compliance with daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) conducted via a smartphone application over an 8-week period. METHODS: An mHealth system was developed specifically for individuals with TBI and utilized previously validated tools for depressive and anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7). Feasibility was assessed in 20 community-dwelling adults with TBI via an assessment of compliance, satisfaction and usability of the smartphone applications. The authors also developed and implemented a clinical patient safety management mechanism for those endorsing suicidality. RESULTS: Participants correctly completed 73.4% of all scheduled assessments, demonstrating good compliance. Daily assessments took <2 minutes to complete. Participants reported high satisfaction with smartphone applications (6.3 of 7) and found them easy to use (6.2 of 7). Comparison of assessments obtained via telephone-based interview and EMA demonstrated high correlations (r = 0.81-0.97), supporting the validity of conducting these assessments via smartphone application in this population. CONCLUSIONS: EMA conducted via smartphone demonstrates initial feasibility among adults with TBI and presents numerous opportunities for long-term monitoring of mood-related symptoms in real-world settings.