Using Gamification App Design and Remote Wearable Sensors to Attain Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients’ Participation Engagement

Nowadays there is an increased aging population in UK, owed to longer life expectancies and lower childbirth, which increases the socio-economic challenges of providing healthcare services [1]. Casual mobile games have steadily increased in popularity and have the potential of engaging senior citizens due to the ubiquity of mobile devices, usability design and game feedback loops [2]. On this research, we are focused on using ViMove sensor [3] and networked mobile devices to empower elderly Ankylosing spondylitis patients to remotely monitor and track their own spinal inflammation. Our hypothesis is that through combining sensor data with a gamified approach to mobile application design can enhance patient motivation and engagement and aid them to become an active participant in their own rehabilitation process [4]. The proposed mobile application would employ dynamic interactions, personalised visualisation, progress tracking, access to relevant condition knowledge and foster elements of community [5]. Another advantage of using a gamification approach is that we can also attain a comprehensive data set. This data set can be remotely accessed by a physiotherapist to perform a more detailed analysis and provide personalised patient feedback. We can assess the impact on participation engagement using app/game analytics to measure retention [6] and gather qualitative feedback on usability design through built in questionnaires.