The Effect of a Mobile Health Decision Support System on Diagnosis and Management of Obesity, Tobacco Use, and Depression in Adults and Children

• This randomized controlled trial compared diagnostic rates and care planning by nurses in nurse practitioner training randomized to a mobile health decision support system (mHealth DSS) versus a control group for obesity and overweight, tobacco use, and depression.
• Nurse practitioner students were assigned within specialty to receive mHealth DSS for 1 of 3 conditions.
• Patient encounter (N = 34,349) was the unit of analysis.
• Significant effect (P < .0001) of mHealth DSS on diagnosis.
• Significant effect of mHealth DSS on the number of care plan items for obesity and overweight and pediatric depression.
• Study adds to the body of literature suggesting that mHealth DSS has a positive effect on care processes.

Research on mobile health decision support systems (mHealth DSS) is limited, and few studies have focused on nurses or nurse practitioners (NPs). This study compared diagnostic rates and care planning by nurses in NP training randomized to mHealth DSS versus a control group for obesity and overweight, tobacco use, and depression. The patient encounter (N = 34,349) was the unit of analysis in the randomized controlled trial. NP students were assigned within specialty to receive mHealth DSS for 1 of 3 conditions. There was a significant effect (P < .0001) of mHealth DSS on diagnosis, but the effect on number of care plan items varied.