Department of Radiography, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
JMIR Form Res. 2024 Nov 15;8:e58608. doi: 10.2196/58608.
Pregnancy apps are widely used by pregnant women, who benefit from self-tracking features to support their health goals. Pregnant radiographers are considered a high-risk group of health workers practicing in ionizing radiation environments. Radiation exposure above threshold limits can cause harmful genetic effects on a fetus. Accordingly, pregnant radiographers are required to wear special fetal dosimeters, which provide real-time readings of radiation dose exposure to the fetus. Pregnant radiographers have the responsibility to self-track their fetal doses to ensure that the threshold limit of 1 mGy is not exceeded. The traditional method used to track doses includes a written log of doses in a notebook. Thus, PregiDose, a unique offering in the context of pregnancy apps, was developed to enhance fetal dose tracking and monitoring using technological methods.
This study aims to describe the users' perceptions of the app's usefulness using PregiDose in a natural setting.
The overarching framework adopted for the study was a design science research (DSR) methodology encompassing five steps, namely (1) problem awareness, (2) suggestion, (3) development, (4) evaluation, and (5) conclusion. This paper presents the evaluation step of DSR. DSR step 4 included a qualitative approach to explore users' perceptions regarding the app. Data were collected using a semistructured interview guide. Open-ended questions were guided by the app's core features, namely dose tracking, education, and wellness. In total, 17 pregnant radiographers in South Africa enrolled to use the app, 9 (53%) engaged with the app, and 4 (24%) agreed to participate in the feedback interviews. The data were collected from October 2023 to March 2024 and analyzed using a reflective thematic data analysis method.
Three overarching themes emerged from the data, namely (1) usefulness of PregiDose, (2) barriers to PregiDose adoption and use, and (3) recommendations for the advancement of PregiDose. Users labeled the app's usefulness as positive and perceived it as a modern approach to traditional dose-tracking methods. They perceived the graph output of the dose-tracking feature to be useful for viewing their accumulative doses. They did not fully engage with the journaling feature, indicating that it was a personal preference and not a practice they would usually engage in. Physiological barriers, such as fatigue and "pregnancy brain," were contributors to decreased engagement. Finally, because of the demanding workload and fast-paced nature of the radiography department, users recommended the automation of fetal dosimetry through the Internet of Things.
PregiDose is an occupational health and safety mobile app developed for pregnant radiographers through a DSR approach. The app offers a modern method of dose tracking consistent with technological advancements in the context of self-tracking. However, future implementation would require using Internet of Things to make fetal dose tracking more effective.
孕妇应用程序被孕妇广泛使用，他们受益于自我跟踪功能，以支持他们的健康目标。孕妇放射技师被认为是在电离辐射环境中工作的高风险健康工作者群体。辐射暴露超过阈值会对胎儿造成有害的遗传影响。因此，孕妇放射技师需要佩戴特殊的胎儿剂量计，以实时读取胎儿的辐射剂量。孕妇放射技师有责任自行跟踪胎儿的剂量，以确保不超过 1 mGy 的阈值限制。传统的剂量跟踪方法包括在笔记本中记录剂量的书面日志。因此，PregiDose 是一种在怀孕应用程序背景下的独特产品，旨在使用技术方法增强胎儿剂量的跟踪和监测。
本研究旨在描述在自然环境中使用 PregiDose 时，用户对该应用程序的有用性的看法。
本研究采用的总体框架是设计科学研究（DSR）方法，包括五个步骤，即（1）问题意识，（2）建议，（3）开发，（4）评估和（5）结论。本文介绍了 DSR 的评估步骤。DSR 步骤 4 采用了一种定性方法来探索用户对应用程序的看法。使用半结构化访谈指南收集数据。开放式问题以应用程序的核心功能为指导，即剂量跟踪、教育和健康。南非共有 17 名孕妇放射技师报名使用该应用程序，其中 9 名（53%）参与了该应用程序，4 名（24%）同意参加反馈访谈。数据收集时间为 2023 年 10 月至 2024 年 3 月，采用反思性主题数据分析方法进行分析。
从数据中出现了三个总体主题，即（1）PregiDose 的有用性，（2）采用和使用 PregiDose 的障碍，以及（3）PregiDose 改进的建议。用户将应用程序的有用性标记为积极，并认为它是一种传统剂量跟踪方法的现代方法。他们认为剂量跟踪功能的图表输出对于查看他们的累积剂量很有用。他们并没有完全参与日志记录功能，这表明这是个人偏好，而不是他们通常会参与的实践。生理障碍，如疲劳和“怀孕大脑”，是降低参与度的因素。最后，由于放射科的工作量大且工作节奏快，用户建议通过物联网实现胎儿剂量自动测量。
PregiDose 是一款通过 DSR 方法为孕妇放射技师开发的职业健康和安全移动应用程序。该应用程序提供了一种与自我跟踪技术进步一致的现代剂量跟踪方法。然而，未来的实施需要使用物联网来使胎儿剂量跟踪更加有效。
