Health Services Researcher, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB, Scotland, UK.
Information Analyst, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB, Scotland, UK.
BMC Womens Health. 2021 Jan 25;21(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12905-020-01166-4.
Vaginal mesh implants are medical devices used in a number of operations to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Although many of these operations have delivered good outcomes, some women have experienced serious complications that have profoundly affected their quality of life. To ensure that evolving patient information is up-to-date, accurate and appropriate, the Transvaginal Mesh Oversight Group 'user-tested' a newly developed Scottish patient resource, the first to focus exclusively on the issue of complications. The aim of this research was to gather feedback on usability, content, language and presentation to inform the development of the resource from a user perspective.
The experience of using the patient resource was captured through semi-structured interviews that followed a 'think-aloud' protocol. The interviewer observed each participant as they went through the resource, asking questions and making field notes. Participants' comments were then categorised using a validated model of user experience and subsequently analysed thematically.
Thirteen people participated in the user testing interviews, including women with lived experience of mesh implants (n = 7), a convenience sample of staff working for Healthcare Improvement Scotland (n = 5) and a patient's carer (n = 1). The majority of participants considered the resource as clear and helpful. Respondents reported that some presentational aspects promoted usability and understandability, including the use of a font that is easy to read, bullet lists, coloured headings and simple language. Barriers included the reliance on some technical language and an explicit anatomical diagram. Participants endorsed the valuable role of health professionals as co-mediators of patient information.
The findings illustrate the value of undertaking in-depth user-testing for patient information resources before their dissemination. The study highlighted how the direct guidance or navigation of a patient information resource by a health professional could increase its salience and accuracy of interpretation by patients, their families and carers. These insights may also be useful to other developers in improving patient information.
阴道网片植入物是用于多种手术的医疗器械，用于治疗压力性尿失禁和盆腔器官脱垂。尽管这些手术中的许多都取得了良好的效果，但一些女性经历了严重的并发症，这些并发症严重影响了她们的生活质量。为了确保不断发展的患者信息是最新的、准确的和适当的，阴道网片监督小组“用户测试”了新开发的苏格兰患者资源，这是第一个专门关注并发症问题的资源。这项研究的目的是收集关于可用性、内容、语言和呈现的反馈意见，以便从用户的角度为资源的开发提供信息。
通过遵循“思考 aloud”协议的半结构化访谈来记录使用患者资源的体验。访谈者观察每个参与者使用资源的过程，提出问题并做现场记录。然后使用经过验证的用户体验模型对参与者的评论进行分类，随后进行主题分析。
共有 13 人参加了用户测试访谈，包括有阴道网片植入物经历的女性（n=7）、苏格兰医疗保健改进组织（n=5）工作人员的便利样本和患者的护理人员（n=1）。大多数参与者认为该资源清晰易懂。受访者报告说，一些表示呈现方面提高了可用性和可理解性，包括使用易于阅读的字体、项目符号列表、彩色标题和简单的语言。障碍包括对一些技术语言和明确的解剖图的依赖。参与者认可了卫生专业人员作为患者信息共同调解人的有价值作用。
研究结果表明，在患者信息资源传播之前，对其进行深入的用户测试非常有价值。该研究强调了卫生专业人员直接指导或导航患者信息资源如何增加其对患者、其家属和护理人员的易读性和解释准确性。这些见解也可能对其他开发者改进患者信息有用。
