Perceived confidence for injury self‑management increases for young men with mild haemophilia with the use of the mobile app HIRT?

Background: Young men with mild haemophilia have unique challenges pertaining to bleed management. They may not always identify musculoskeletal injury requiring medical attention as they do not bleed frequently, potentially resulting in significant health consequences. In response to these challenges, a team of clinicians, researchers and young men with mild haemophilia developed a self-assessment pathway which was converted into a mobile app. Aim: This study examined the influence of the mobile app, HIRT? (Hemophilia Injury Recognition Tool) on perceived injury self-management in young men with mild haemophilia in Canada. Methods: We used a mixed methods design. The quantitative data, through a self-report questionnaire, evaluated perceived injury self-management strategies and participant confidence levels. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar chi-square test were used to determine association between perceived self-management strategies when using and not using the app, with significant levels set at p<0.05. Qualitative data was created using interpretive description and inductive content analysis of recorded and transcribed interviews. Results: 12 young men, aged 18-35 years, participated. Perceived confidence levels significantly increased (p=0.004) with the use of the app. Five qualitative themes were identified: accessibility, credibility, the benefit of alarms, confidence and usefulness. Conclusion: This study provides promising evidence to support the feasibility and use of HIRT? as an injury self-management tool for young men with mild haemophilia. Future research should prospectively investigate the effect of the app on injury selfmanagement confidence.