Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
J Med Internet Res. 2023 Aug 15;25:e48308. doi: 10.2196/48308.
Smartphone apps have been beneficial in controlling and preventing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a gap in research surrounding the importance of smartphone app functions from a user's perspective. Although the insights and opinions of different stakeholders, such as policymakers and medical professionals, can influence the success of a public health policy, any strategy will face difficulty in achieving the expected effect if it is not based on a method that users can accept.
This study aimed to assess the importance of a hypothetical smartphone app's functions for managing health during a pandemic based on the perspective of user preferences.
A cross-sectional and web-based survey using the best-worst scaling (BWS) method was used to investigate the general population's preferences for important smartphone app functions. Participants were recruited from a professional surveying company's web-based surveying panel. The attributes of the BWS questionnaire were developed based on a robust process, including literature review, interviews, and expert discussion. A balanced incomplete block design was used to construct the choice task to ensure the effectiveness of the research design. Count analysis, conditional logit model analysis, and mixed logit analysis were used to estimate preference heterogeneity among respondents.
The responses of 2153 participants were eligible for analysis. Nearly 55% (1192/2153) were female, and the mean age was 31.4 years. Most participants (1765/2153, 81.9%) had completed tertiary or higher education, and approximately 70% (1523/2153) were urban residents. The 3 most vital functions according to their selection were "surveillance and monitoring of infected cases," "quick self-screening," and "early detection of infected cases." The mixed logit regression model identified significant heterogeneity in preferences among respondents, and stratified analysis showed that some heterogeneities varied in respondents by demographics and COVID-19-related characteristics. Participants who preferred to use the app were more likely to assign a high weight to the preventive functions than those who did not prefer to use it. Conversely, participants who showed lower willingness to use the app tended to indicate a higher preference for supportive functions than those who preferred to use it.
This study ranks the importance of smartphone app features that provide health care services during a pandemic based on the general population's preferences in China. It provides empirical evidence for decision-makers to develop eHealth policies and strategies that address future public health crises from a person-centered care perspective. Continued use of apps and smart investment in digital health can help improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of disease on individuals and communities.
智能手机应用程序在控制和预防 COVID-19 大流行方面发挥了积极作用。然而，从用户角度来看，智能手机应用程序功能的重要性方面的研究仍存在空白。尽管政策制定者和医疗专业人员等不同利益相关者的意见和看法可能会影响公共卫生政策的成功，但如果不采用用户能够接受的方法，任何策略都难以达到预期效果。
本研究旨在评估基于用户偏好的假设性智能手机应用程序在大流行期间管理健康的重要功能。
本研究采用横断面和基于网络的最佳最差标度（BWS）调查方法，调查了普通人群对智能手机应用程序重要功能的偏好。参与者是从一家专业调查公司的网络调查小组中招募的。BWS 问卷的属性是通过文献回顾、访谈和专家讨论等稳健过程开发的。采用平衡不完全区组设计来构建选择任务，以确保研究设计的有效性。计数分析、条件逻辑回归模型分析和混合逻辑回归分析用于估计受访者之间的偏好异质性。
共有 2153 名符合条件的参与者的回复可用于分析。近 55%（1192/2153）为女性，平均年龄为 31.4 岁。大多数参与者（1765/2153，81.9%）完成了高等教育，约 70%（1523/2153）为城市居民。根据选择，排名前 3 的最重要功能是“感染病例的监测和监控”、“快速自我筛查”和“感染病例的早期检测”。混合逻辑回归模型确定了受访者偏好存在显著异质性，分层分析显示，一些异质性因受访者的人口统计学和 COVID-19 相关特征而异。倾向于使用该应用程序的参与者比不倾向于使用该应用程序的参与者更有可能赋予预防功能较高的权重。相反，表现出较低使用意愿的参与者倾向于对支持性功能表现出更高的偏好，而不是那些倾向于使用该应用程序的参与者。
本研究根据中国普通人群对大流行期间提供医疗服务的智能手机应用程序功能的偏好，对其重要性进行了排名。这为决策者提供了实证依据，以便从以人为本的护理角度制定应对未来公共卫生危机的电子卫生政策和战略。持续使用应用程序和对数字健康的明智投资有助于改善个人和社区的健康结果并减轻疾病负担。
