Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia.
J Med Internet Res. 2023 Sep 5;25:e44540. doi: 10.2196/44540.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sydney Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia, launched the rpavirtual program, the first full-scale virtual hospital in Australia, to remotely monitor and follow up stable patients with COVID-19. As part of the intervention, a pulse oximeter wearable device was delivered to patients to monitor their oxygen saturation levels, a critical indicator of COVID-19 patient deterioration. Understanding users' perceptions toward the device is fundamental to assessing its usability and acceptability and contributing to the effectiveness of the intervention, but no research to date has explored the user experience of the pulse oximeter for remote monitoring in this setting.
This study aimed to explore the use, performance, and acceptability of the pulse oximeter by clinicians and patients in rpavirtual during COVID-19.
Semistructured interviews and usability testing were conducted. Stable adult patients with COVID-19 (aged ≥18 years) who used the pulse oximeter and were monitored by rpavirtual, and rpavirtual clinicians monitoring these patients were interviewed. Clinicians could be nurses, doctors, or staff who were part of the team that assisted patients with the use of the pulse oximeter. Usability testing was conducted with patients who had the pulse oximeter when they were contacted. Interviews were coded using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Usability testing was conducted using a think-aloud protocol. Data were collected until saturation was reached.
Twenty-one patients (average age 51, SD 13 years) and 15 clinicians (average age 41, SD 11 years) completed the interview. Eight patients (average age 51, SD 13 years) completed the usability testing. All participants liked the device and thought it was easy to use. They also had a good understanding of how to use the device and the device's purpose. Patients' age and device use-related characteristics (eg, the warmth of hands and hand steadiness) were identified by users as factors negatively impacting the accurate use of the pulse oximeter.
Patients and clinicians had very positive perceptions of the pulse oximeter for COVID-19 remote monitoring, indicating high acceptability and usability of the device. However, factors that may impact the accuracy of the device should be considered when delivering interventions using the pulse oximeter for remote monitoring. Targeted instructions about the use of the device may be necessary for specific populations (eg, older people and patients unfamiliar with technology). Further research should focus on the integration of the pulse oximeter data into electronic medical records for real-time and secure patient monitoring.
作为对 COVID-19 大流行的应对措施，澳大利亚新南威尔士州悉尼地方卫生区推出了 rpavirtual 计划，这是澳大利亚首个全规模的虚拟医院，旨在远程监测和随访 COVID-19 稳定患者。作为干预措施的一部分，向患者提供脉搏血氧仪可穿戴设备，以监测他们的血氧饱和度水平，这是 COVID-19 患者病情恶化的关键指标。了解用户对设备的看法对于评估其可用性和可接受性以及为干预措施的有效性做出贡献至关重要，但迄今为止，没有研究探讨在这种情况下远程监测中脉搏血氧仪的用户体验。
本研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 期间 rpavirtual 中临床医生和患者对脉搏血氧仪的使用、性能和可接受性。
进行半结构式访谈和可用性测试。接受过 rpavirtual 监测并使用过脉搏血氧仪的稳定成年 COVID-19 患者（年龄≥18 岁）和监测这些患者的 rpavirtual 临床医生接受了采访。临床医生可以是护士、医生或协助患者使用脉搏血氧仪的团队的一员。在与使用脉搏血氧仪的患者联系时，对患者进行了可用性测试。使用可接受性理论框架对访谈进行编码。使用出声思维协议进行可用性测试。收集数据直到达到饱和度。
21 名患者（平均年龄 51 岁，标准差 13 岁）和 15 名临床医生（平均年龄 41 岁，标准差 11 岁）完成了访谈。8 名患者（平均年龄 51 岁，标准差 13 岁）完成了可用性测试。所有参与者都喜欢该设备，认为它易于使用。他们还对如何使用设备以及设备的用途有很好的了解。患者的年龄和设备使用相关特征（例如，手部的温暖和手部的稳定性）被用户确定为可能影响脉搏血氧仪准确使用的因素。
患者和临床医生对 COVID-19 远程监测的脉搏血氧仪有非常积极的看法，表明该设备具有高度的可接受性和可用性。然而，在使用脉搏血氧仪进行远程监测的干预措施中，应考虑可能影响设备准确性的因素。对于特定人群（例如老年人和不熟悉技术的患者），可能需要针对设备使用的针对性说明。进一步的研究应侧重于将脉搏血氧仪数据集成到电子病历中，以实现实时和安全的患者监测。
