BackgroundHeart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent chronic condition that places a substantial burden on patients, families, and health care systems worldwide. Recent advances in mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer great opportunities for supporting many aspects of HF self-care. There is a need to better understand patients’ adoption of and interest in using mHealth for self-monitoring and management of HF symptoms. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to assess smartphone ownership and patient attitudes toward using mHealth technologies for HF self-care in a predominantly minority population in an urban clinical setting. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult outpatients (aged ≥18 years) at an academic outpatient HF clinic in the Midwest. The survey comprised 34 questions assessing patient demographics, ownership of smartphones and other mHealth devices, frequently used smartphone features, use of mHealth apps, and interest in using mHealth technologies for vital sign and HF symptom self-monitoring and management. ResultsA total of 144 patients were approached, of which 100 (69.4%) participated in the study (63/100, 63% women). The participants had a mean age of 61.3 (SD 12.25) years and were predominantly Black or African American (61/100, 61%) and Hispanic or Latino (18/100, 18%). Almost all participants (93/100, 93%) owned a cell phone. The share of patients who owned a smartphone was 68% (68/100). Racial and ethnic minorities that identified as Black or African American or Hispanic or Latino reported higher smartphone ownership rates compared with White patients with HF (45/61, 74% Black or African American and 11/18, 61% Hispanic or Latino vs 9/17, 53% White). There was a moderate and statistically significant association between smartphone ownership and age (Cramér V [ΦC]=0.35; P
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