Ho Calvin N, Kündig Anna, Bahadori Lila, Roat Katy, Bruce Rachel, Goswami Caroline P, Kelly Kimberly, Moll Thomas
Patient Centered Science, BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Patient Centered Science, BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2024 Dec 18;8(1):145. doi: 10.1186/s41687-024-00821-w.
Robust and well-defined data collection is important when using electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) in clinical studies. Questions have been raised as to whether older age may be a barrier to data collection due to patients' unfamiliarity with electronic devices. Older adults may also have underlying health conditions that affect their ability to fill out patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) on electronic devices. The aim of this observational, qualitative research study was to evaluate the usability of electronic PROMs (ePROMs) on a tablet and smartphone in older participants with and without bullous pemphigoid (BP).
Older people with and without BP were recruited in the US and France. They participated in 60-min in-person interviews, with moderators observing their completion of various tasks, including ePROMs, using a tablet and smartphone. Participants were scored on ease of task completion using a scale from 1 to 5.
A total of 12 participants were recruited (≥65 years old; six each with and without BP [all participants without BP were ≥75 years old]). Most participants (83%) could easily and confidently perform most assigned tasks on both the tablet and smartphone. Although select tasks required assistance, all participants were eventually able to complete all tasks. Overall, ePROM usability did not correlate with age, sex, country, or disease state. Feedback on the general usability of both electronic devices was largely positive, and most participants (n = 11; 92%) were willing to use them. Participants were generally pleased with the training modules offered on both devices, describing the training as sufficient, straightforward, and helpful. In total, 25 usability issues were identified, which fell into three categories: incomplete instructions, unclear language, and insufficient technical/visual design. Participants provided feedback on how to enhance device usability.
The results suggest that older people can confidently use a tablet or smartphone for ePROM completion, particularly with appropriate training. ePROMs should be designed with the needs of the target patient population in mind. These results can be leveraged to improve clinical data recording, optimize device usability, and enhance the user experience for older people and those with functional or physical limitations.
在临床研究中使用电子患者报告结局测量工具（ePROMs）时，强大且明确的数据收集至关重要。由于患者对电子设备不熟悉，有人提出年龄较大是否可能成为数据收集的障碍。老年人也可能存在潜在健康状况，影响他们在电子设备上填写患者报告结局测量工具（PROMs）的能力。这项观察性定性研究的目的是评估平板电脑和智能手机上的电子PROMs（ePROMs）在有和没有大疱性类天疱疮（BP）的老年参与者中的可用性。
在美国和法国招募了有和没有BP的老年人。他们参加了60分钟的面对面访谈，主持人观察他们使用平板电脑和智能手机完成包括ePROMs在内的各种任务的情况。使用1至5分的量表对参与者完成任务的难易程度进行评分。
共招募了12名参与者（≥65岁；有和没有BP的各6名[所有没有BP的参与者≥75岁]）。大多数参与者（83%）能够轻松自信地在平板电脑和智能手机上完成大多数指定任务。虽然某些任务需要协助，但所有参与者最终都能够完成所有任务。总体而言，ePROM的可用性与年龄、性别、国家或疾病状态无关。对两种电子设备总体可用性的反馈大多是积极的，大多数参与者（n = 11；92%）愿意使用它们。参与者对两种设备提供的培训模块普遍满意，称培训充分、直接且有帮助。总共识别出25个可用性问题，分为三类：说明不完整、语言不清楚以及技术/视觉设计不足。参与者提供了关于如何提高设备可用性的反馈。
结果表明，老年人能够自信地使用平板电脑或智能手机来完成ePROM，特别是在接受适当培训的情况下。设计ePROM时应考虑目标患者群体的需求。这些结果可用于改善临床数据记录、优化设备可用性并提升老年人以及有功能或身体限制者的用户体验。
