Spasić Irena, Button Kate, Divoli Anna, Gupta Satyam, Pataky Tamas, Pizzocaro Diego, Preece Alun, van Deursen Robert, Wilson Chris
School of Computer Science & Informatics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
JMIR Res Protoc. 2015 Oct 16;4(4):e122. doi: 10.2196/resprot.4091.
Standard care for the rehabilitation of knee conditions involves exercise programs and information provision. Current methods of rehabilitation delivery struggle to keep up with large volumes of patients and the length of treatment required to maximize the recovery. Therefore, the development of novel interventions to support self-management is strongly recommended. Such interventions need to include information provision, goal setting, monitoring, feedback, and support groups, but the most effective methods of their delivery are poorly understood. The Internet provides a medium for intervention delivery with considerable potential for meeting these needs.
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a Web-based app and to conduct a preliminary review of its practicability as part of a complex medical intervention in the rehabilitation of knee disorders. This paper describes the development, implementation, and usability of such an app.
An interdisciplinary team of health care professionals and researchers, computer scientists, and app developers developed the TRAK app suite. The key functionality of the app includes information provision, a three-step exercise program based on a standard care for the rehabilitation of knee conditions, self-monitoring with visual feedback, and a virtual support group. There were two types of stakeholders (patients and physiotherapists) that were recruited for the usability study. The usability questionnaire was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative information on computer and Internet usage, task completion, and subjective user preferences.
A total of 16 patients and 15 physiotherapists participated in the usability study. Based on the System Usability Scale, the TRAK app has higher perceived usability than 70% of systems. Both patients and physiotherapists agreed that the given Web-based approach would facilitate communication, provide information, help recall information, improve understanding, enable exercise progression, and support self-management in general. The Web app was found to be easy to use and user satisfaction was very high. The TRAK app suite can be accessed at http://apps.facebook.com/kneetrak/.
The usability study suggests that a Web-based intervention is feasible and acceptable in supporting self-management of knee conditions.
膝关节疾病康复的标准护理包括运动计划和信息提供。当前的康复治疗方法难以满足大量患者的需求以及实现最大程度恢复所需的治疗时长。因此，强烈建议开发新型干预措施以支持自我管理。此类干预措施需包括信息提供、目标设定、监测、反馈和支持小组，但其最有效的实施方法却鲜为人知。互联网为满足这些需求提供了具有巨大潜力的干预实施媒介。
本研究的目的是证明一款基于网络的应用程序的可行性，并对其作为膝关节疾病康复综合医疗干预一部分的实用性进行初步评估。本文描述了该应用程序的开发、实施和可用性。
一个由医疗保健专业人员和研究人员、计算机科学家以及应用程序开发人员组成的跨学科团队开发了TRAK应用程序套件。该应用程序的关键功能包括信息提供、基于膝关节疾病康复标准护理的三步运动计划、带有视觉反馈的自我监测以及虚拟支持小组。招募了两类利益相关者（患者和物理治疗师）参与可用性研究。可用性调查问卷用于收集有关计算机和互联网使用、任务完成情况以及用户主观偏好的定性和定量信息。
共有16名患者和15名物理治疗师参与了可用性研究。根据系统可用性量表，TRAK应用程序的感知可用性高于70%的系统。患者和物理治疗师都认为，给定的基于网络的方法将促进沟通、提供信息、帮助回忆信息、增进理解、促进运动进展并总体上支持自我管理。该网络应用程序被发现易于使用，用户满意度非常高。可通过http://apps.facebook.com/kneetrak/访问TRAK应用程序套件。
可用性研究表明，基于网络的干预措施在支持膝关节疾病的自我管理方面是可行且可接受的。
