Foundations of Digital Recovery

Welcome to Week 5 of my senior project update! This week, I’ve been actively engaged in monitoring the progress of my project at the Veterans Affairs Hospital’s “Foundations of Recovery” rehabilitation program, which currently accommodates 15 residents. One of the unique challenges of working within this program is the dynamic nature of its population, with residents frequently transitioning in and out due to various reasons such as program completion or discharge.

Despite these challenges, I’ve made significant strides in engaging residents with the project. I’ve conducted app demos for seven patients thus far, presenting at their meetings to introduce my project and offer sign-up opportunities for those interested in utilizing one of the four apps. Given the fluidity of the resident population, adaptability is key in ensuring that the project remains accessible and beneficial to as many individuals as possible.

Reflecting on my interactions with residents, I’ve encountered various scenarios highlighting the diverse needs and circumstances of each individual:

– V1: Engaged in a Stanford sleep study and demonstrated a solid understanding of the features of the Insomnia Coach app before being discharged later that week.

– V2: Demonstrated the Insomnia Coach app, but lacked access to a phone. Despite efforts to download the app once off the program, the resident was discharged later that week.

– V3: Participated in demos for the PTSD and Mindfulness Coach apps, ultimately favoring the latter. One week later, feedback indicated satisfaction with Mindfulness Coach, with visible progress evidenced by growth in the app’s visualization features.

– V4: Participated in demos for the PTSD and Insomnia Coach apps, opting to download the latter for further use.

– V5: Demonstrated the Insomnia Coach app, but faced limitations due to phone size, expressing interest in obtaining a tablet for better access.

– V6: Engaged in a demo specifically for the Insomnia Coach app.

Moving forward, I’m focused on establishing regular check-in times with each participant and introducing new recruits to the available apps. It’s important to reiterate that the primary goal of this project is to support the residents in their rehabilitation journey. While data collection poses certain challenges, particularly in terms of residents’ priorities and privacy considerations, I’m committed to gathering qualitative insights through informal conversations and observations, alongside quantitative data obtained from app usage metrics and progress graphs.

As the project continues to evolve, I want to make sure it remains responsive to the dynamic needs of the residents and helps their recovery process. Stay tuned for more updates!