Co-design and prototype development of the ‘Ayzot App’: A mobile phone based remote monitoring system for palliative care

Background: Palliative care, a recognised component of care by the World Health Organization is poorly developed in low- and middle-income countries. Mobile phone technology, an effective way to increase access and sustainability of healthcare systems globally, has demonstrated benefits within palliative care service delivery, but is yet to be utilised in Ethiopia. Aim: To co-design, develop and evaluate a mobile phone based remote monitoring system for use by palliative care patients in Ethiopia Design: Two-phase co-design approach comprising multiple methods that is stakeholder interviews, focus groups, user-co-creation activities and healthcare worker prioritisation discussions 2019–2020. Phase-1 interviews (n = 40), Phase-2 focus groups (n = 3) and interviews (n = 10). Setting/Participants: Hospice Ethiopia and Yekatit 12 Medical College Hospital: healthcare workers, palliative care patients, family carers & software-developers. Results: Co-design activities lead to development of the prototype ‘Ayzot’ application, which was well received and reported to be easy to use. Patients, and family caregivers saw provision of self-care information and symptom management as a key function of the App and expressed very positive attitudes towards such information being included. Healthcare workers found the App offered service benefits, in terms of time and cost-savings. Conclusion: This paper provides a detailed example of the development and design of a prototype remote monitoring system using mobile phone technology for palliative care use in Ethiopia. Further development and real-world testing are required, to not only understand how it acts within usual care to deliver anticipated benefits but also to explore its effectiveness and provide cost estimates for wider implementation.