Self-management in heart failure using mHealth: A content validation

•mICardiApp has been developed to improve the quality of life of patients with multimorbidity and HF.•mICardiApp has been designed by a panel of professionals and patients and validated by experts.•The results demonstrated a high Content Validity Index of the screens and the full app.•This validated app has fixed gaps included in the literature related to piloting and validation. To describe the development of a mobile health application –mICardiApp- designed by a multidisciplinary professional team and patients with heart failure and to evaluate its content validity. Critical reviews of the literature, semi-structured interviews with patients, and user stories guided the development of the content of the mobile application. These contents were refined and validated through a modified Delphi process. An expert panel of healthcare and social care professionals together with patients and academics evaluated the content through two content validity indicators, relevance, and adequacy, and provided narrative feedback. The content validity of the app and each screen was determined by calculating the Content Validity Index (CVI). Similarly, the Adequacy Index (AI) was analyzed. The developed app is composed by 8 topics: (1) available resources, (2) cardiac rehabilitation, (3) control of signs and symptoms, (4) emotional support, (5) learning and having fun, (6) medication, (7) nutrition, and (8) physical activity. The results demonstrated high CVI of the screens and the full app. 57 of the 59 screens in the app reached an excellent CVI ≥ 0.70 for both relevance and adequacy, except for 2 screens. The CVI Average Method of the app was 0.851. mICardiApp is presented as an application to improve health literacy and self-management of patients with multimorbidity and heart failure, with proven validation.