Jung-Eun Lee, PhD
Awards
Advance RI-CTR Pilot Projects Program (Cycle 9)
“Novel Symptom Self-Management Program for Older Adults with Multimorbidity”
Dr. Jung-Eun Lee's study addresses public health concerns by leveraging innovative technology to support a vulnerable group of older adults in low-income households, facing challenges of isolation. The use of a conversational agent-based intervention, with its sustainability and cost-effectiveness, holds promise for enhancing symptom management. The development of this intervention will be grounded in the real-world experiences of the participants, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness.
By 2030, almost 25% of Americans will be ≥ 65 years old. As the aging population is growing, the number of individuals living with chronic diseases is steadily increasing. It is reported that 80% of older adults live with at least one chronic condition. One important goal of chronic disease management is to improve wellbeing and health-related quality of life for this growing aging population.
Older adults, especially those living alone with multimorbidity (i.e., having at least two chronic diseases), tend to experience various physical and psychological issues and social consequences. However, current research evidence and guidelines have focused on single disease-specific care. The lack of research evidence for older adults living alone with multimorbidity poses significant challenges in understanding and addressing their health needs. We need to shift the current paradigm from a single-disease approach to a person-centered approach in chronic disease management.
Recent studies highlight the benefits of using technology for designing sustainable, cost-effective interventions in older adults, because technology-based behavioral programs aim to overcome barriers to participation in traditional interventional studies. Access to mobile and Internet technologies among older adults has been steadily increasing, making the proposed conversational agentbased intervention have extended reach and potential impact for older adults with multimorbidity. This study will develop and refine a chatbot-based, personalized symptom self-management intervention that is tailored for older adults living alone with multimorbidity.
Dr. Lee aims to investigate the effectiveness of a chatbot-based program in supporting the self-management needs of older adults living alone with multimorbidity. Employing an iterative, user-centered design and a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative focus group interviews and quantitative questionnaires, the study will comprehensively explore the lived experiences, symptom burden, challenges of managing multiple chronic conditions, and selfmanagement needs, of older adults. The study will explore experiences and selfmanagement needs of older adults living alone with multimorbidity and assess attitudes and usability of a chatbot-based intervention among older adults living alone with multimorbidity.