Department of Industrial Design, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
JMIR Hum Factors. 2024 Nov 15;11:e60049. doi: 10.2196/60049.
Digital health tools have demonstrated promise in the treatment and self-management of chronic diseases while also serving as an important means for reducing the workload of health care professionals (HCPs) and enhancing the quality of care. However, these tools often merely undergo large-scale testing or enter the market without undergoing rigorous user experience analysis in the early stages of their development, leading to frequent instances of low use or failure.
This study aims to assess the usability of and satisfaction with a mobile app designed for the clinical monitoring of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation at home.
This study used a mixed methods approach involving two key stakeholders-patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and HCPs-across three phases: (1) mobile app mock-up design, (2) usability testing, and (3) satisfaction evaluation. Using convenience sampling, participants were grouped as HCPs (n=12) and patients (n=18). Each received a tablet with mock-ups for usability testing through interviews, with audio recordings transcribed and analyzed anonymously in NVivo12.0, focusing on mock-up features and usability insights. Task difficulty was rated from 1 (very easy) to 5 (very difficult), with noncompletion deemed a critical error. Usability satisfaction was measured on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
The research indicated a notable difference in app usability perceptions: 66% (8/12) of HCPs found tasks "very easy," compared to only 22% (4/18) of patients. Despite this, no participant made critical errors or withdrew, and satisfaction was high. HCPs completed tasks in about 20 minutes, while patients took 30. Older adults faced challenges with touch screens and scroll menus, suggesting the need for intuitive design aids like auditory support and visual health progress indicators, such as graphs. HCPs noted potential data delays affecting service, while non-native-speaking caregivers faced interpretation challenges. A secure pairing system for privacy in teleconsultations proved difficult for older users; a simpler icon-based system is recommended. This study highlights the need to consider stakeholder abilities in medical app design to enhance function implementation.
Most HCPs (11/12, 91%) found the app intuitive, though they recommended adding icons to show patient progress to support clinical decisions. In contrast, 62% (11/18) of patients struggled with tablet navigation, especially with connectivity features. To ensure equitable access, the design should accommodate older users with diverse abilities. Despite challenges, both groups reported high satisfaction, with patients expressing a willingness to learn and recommending the app. These positive usability evaluations suggest that, with design improvements, such apps could see increased use in home-based care.
数字健康工具在慢性病的治疗和自我管理方面显示出了潜力，同时也是减轻医疗保健专业人员（HCP）工作量和提高护理质量的重要手段。然而，这些工具在开发的早期阶段往往只是经过大规模测试或进入市场，而没有经过严格的用户体验分析，导致使用率低或失败的情况经常发生。
本研究旨在评估一款专为在家中接受肺康复治疗的慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者进行临床监测而设计的移动应用程序的可用性和满意度。
本研究采用混合方法，涉及三个阶段的两个关键利益相关者-慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者和 HCP：（1）移动应用程序模拟设计，（2）可用性测试，（3）满意度评估。使用便利抽样法，将参与者分为 HCP 组（n=12）和患者组（n=18）。每组均收到一台带有模拟测试的平板电脑，通过访谈进行可用性测试，将音频记录转录并在 NVivo12.0 中匿名分析，重点关注模拟测试功能和可用性见解。任务难度从 1（非常容易）到 5（非常困难）进行评分，未完成被视为关键错误。使用 5 点李克特量表从 1（非常不同意）到 5（非常同意）来衡量可用性满意度。
研究表明，应用程序的可用性感知存在显著差异：66%（8/12）的 HCP 认为任务“非常容易”，而只有 22%（4/18）的患者认为任务“非常容易”。尽管如此，没有参与者出现关键错误或退出，并且满意度很高。HCP 完成任务大约需要 20 分钟，而患者则需要 30 分钟。老年患者在使用触摸屏和滚动菜单方面遇到了挑战，这表明需要直观的设计辅助工具，如听觉支持和可视化健康进度指标，如图表。HCP 注意到潜在的数据延迟会影响服务，而非母语为英语的护理人员则面临解释挑战。用于远程咨询的隐私安全配对系统对老年用户来说很难操作；建议使用更简单的基于图标的系统。本研究强调了在医疗应用程序设计中考虑利益相关者能力的重要性，以增强功能实现。
大多数 HCP（11/12，91%）认为该应用程序直观，尽管他们建议添加图标以显示患者的进展，以支持临床决策。相比之下，62%（11/18）的患者在平板电脑导航方面遇到了困难，尤其是在连接功能方面。为确保公平访问，设计应适应具有不同能力的老年用户。尽管存在挑战，但两组都报告了很高的满意度，患者表示愿意学习并推荐该应用程序。这些积极的可用性评估表明，通过改进设计，这种应用程序在家中护理中可能会得到更广泛的使用。
