Dataset Information

Evaluation of a Mobile Phone App for Patients With Pollen-Related Allergic Rhinitis: Prospective Longitudinal Field Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Mobile health apps have great potential to support the self-management of chronic conditions such as allergic diseases, which constitute significant challenges in health care. However, the health app market is confusing for users, as it is vast, dynamic, and lacks scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of the apps on offer. To our knowledge, no health app for pollen-related allergic rhinitis has been evaluated. OBJECTIVE:The aim of our study was to evaluate the Husteblume mobile phone health app, developed in Germany to facilitate the self-management of pollen-related allergic rhinitis. METHODS:We evaluated usability and changes in quality of life, health literacy, and self-efficacy for managing one's chronic disease. We conducted 2 online surveys of registered users of the app, 1 before and 1 after the 2017 pollen season, allowing for the analysis of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data in a field setting. RESULTS:The sample comprised 661 app users at the first measurement point and 143 users at follow-up. The subgroup of study participants at follow-up rated the usability of the app as good or very good. There were no significant changes in patient-reported outcomes such as quality of life, health literacy, and self-efficacy between the 2 measurement points (P>.05). However, those reached at follow-up perceived subjective improvements due to the app: 55.9% (80/143) reported being subjectively better informed about their allergy, 27.3% (39/143) noted improved quality of life, 33.6% (48/143) reported subjectively better coping with their allergy, and 28.0% (40/143) felt better prepared for the consultation with their physician. Finally, 90.9% (130/143) users did not identify any adverse effects of the app. CONCLUSIONS:Despite some methodological caveats, the results of the evaluation of the Husteblume app are encouraging for the subgroup using the app in the long term. However, further studies evaluating the effectiveness of the app are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION:German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00011897; https://tinyurl.com/yxxrg9av.

SUBMITTER: Glattacker M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7195669 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evaluation of a Mobile Phone App for Patients With Pollen-Related Allergic Rhinitis: Prospective Longitudinal Field Study.

Glattacker Manuela M Boeker Martin M Anger Robin R Reichenbach Frank F Tassoni Adrian A Bredenkamp Rainer R Giesler Juergen M JM

JMIR mHealth and uHealth 20200417 4

<h4>Background</h4>Mobile health apps have great potential to support the self-management of chronic conditions such as allergic diseases, which constitute significant challenges in health care. However, the health app market is confusing for users, as it is vast, dynamic, and lacks scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of the apps on offer. To our knowledge, no health app for pollen-related allergic rhinitis has been evaluated.<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of our study was to evaluate the ...[more]

PMID: 32301735

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Gait disorders are common among older adults. With an increase in the use of technology among older adults, a mobile phone app provides a solution for older adults to self-monitor their gait quality in daily life. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to develop a gait-monitoring mobile phone app (Pocket Gait) and evaluate its acceptability and usability among potential older users. METHODS:The app was developed to allow older adults to track their gait quality, including step frequency, acceleration root mean square (RMS), step regularity, step symmetry, and step variability. We recruited a total of 148 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older from two cities in China: Beijing and Chongqing. They walked in three ways (single task, dual task, and fast walking) using a smartphone with the gait-monitoring app installed and completed an acceptability and usability survey after the walk test. User acceptability was measured by a questionnaire including four quantitative measures: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, ease of learning, and intention to use. Usability was measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Interviews were conducted with participants to collect open-ended feedback questions. RESULTS:Task type had a significant effect on all gait parameters, namely, step frequency, RMS, step variability, step regularity, and step symmetry (all P values <.001). Age had a significant effect on step frequency (P=.01), and region had a significant effect on step regularity (P=.04). The acceptability of the gait-monitoring app was positive among older adults. Participants identified the usability of the system with an overall score of 59.7 (SD 10.7) out of 100. Older adults from Beijing scored significantly higher SUS compared with older adults from Chongqing (P<.001). The age of older adults was significantly associated with their SUS score (P=.048). Older adults identified improvements such as a larger font size, inclusion of reference values for gait parameters, and inclusion of heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. CONCLUSIONS:This mobile phone app is a health management tool for older adults to self-manage their gait quality and prevent adverse outcomes. In the future, it will be important to take factors such as age and region into consideration while designing a mobile phone-based gait assessment app. The feedback of the participants would help to design more elderly-friendly products. TRIAL REGISTRATION:

Project description:AimTo investigate whether birch pollen allergy symptoms are linked with gut microbiota changes and whether probiotics have an effect on these.MethodsForty seven children with confirmed birch pollen allergy were randomized to receive either a probiotic combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) NCFM (ATCC 700396) and Bifidobacterium lactis (B. lactis) Bl-04 (ATCC SD5219) or placebo in a double-blind manner for 4 mo, starting prior to onset of the birch pollen season. Symptoms were recorded in a diary. Blood samples were taken for analysis of cytokines and eosinophils. Fecal samples were analysed for microbiota components, calprotectin and IgA. Nasal swabs were taken for analysis of eosinophils.ResultsThe pollen season induced a reduction in Bifidobacterium, Clostridium and Bacteroides which could not be prevented by the probiotic intervention. During the intervention, significantly higher numbers of B. lactis 11.2 x 10(7) +/- 4.2 x 10(7) vs 0.1 x 10(7) +/- 0.1 x 10(7) bacteria/g feces (P < 0.0001) and L. acidophilus NCFM 3.5 x 10(6) +/- 1.3 x 10(6) vs 0.2 x 10(6) +/- 0.1 x 10(6) bacteria/g feces (P < 0.0001) were observed in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group. During May, there was a tendency for fewer subjects, (76.2% vs 95.2%, P = 0.078) to report runny nose, while during June, fewer subjects, 11.1% vs 33.3%, reported nasal blocking in the probiotics group (P = 0.101). Concomitantly, fewer subjects in the probiotic group had infiltration of eosinophils in the nasal mucosa compared to the placebo group, 57.1% vs 95% (P = 0.013). Eye symptoms tended to be slightly more frequent in the probiotic group, 12.5 d [interquartile range (IQR) 6-18] vs 7.5 d (IQR 0-11.5) (P = 0.066) during May. Fecal IgA was increased in the placebo group during the pollen season; this increase was prevented by the probiotics (P = 0.028).ConclusionBirch pollen allergy was shown to be associated with changes in fecal microbiota composition. The specific combination of probiotics used was shown to prevent the pollen-induced infiltration of eosinophils into the nasal mucosa, and indicated a trend for reduced nasal symptoms.

Project description:BACKGROUND: The use of mobile phones, and specifically smartphones, in the last decade has become more and more prevalent. The latest mobile phones are equipped with comprehensive features that can be used in health care, such as providing rapid access to up-to-date evidence-based information, provision of instant communications, and improvements in organization. The estimated number of health care apps for mobile phones is increasing tremendously, but previous research has highlighted the lack of critical appraisal of new apps. This lack of appraisal of apps has largely been due to the lack of clinicians with technical knowledge of how to create an evidence-based app. OBJECTIVE: We discuss two freely available methodologies for developing Web-based mobile phone apps: a website builder and an app builder. With these, users can program not just a Web-based app, but also integrate multimedia features within their app, without needing to know any programming language. METHODS: We present techniques for creating a mobile Web-based app using two well-established online mobile app websites. We illustrate how to integrate text-based content within the app, as well as integration of interactive videos and rich site summary (RSS) feed information. We will also briefly discuss how to integrate a simple questionnaire survey into the mobile-based app. A questionnaire survey was administered to students to collate their perceptions towards the app. RESULTS: These two methodologies for developing apps have been used to convert an online electronic psychiatry textbook into two Web-based mobile phone apps for medical students rotating through psychiatry in Singapore. Since the inception of our mobile Web-based app, a total of 21,991 unique users have used the mobile app and online portal provided by WordPress, and another 717 users have accessed the app via a Web-based link. The user perspective survey results (n=185) showed that a high proportion of students valued the textbook and objective structured clinical examination videos featured in the app. A high proportion of students concurred that a self-designed mobile phone app would be helpful for psychiatry education. CONCLUSIONS: These methodologies can enable busy clinicians to develop simple mobile Web-based apps for academic, educational, and research purposes, without any prior knowledge of programming. This will be beneficial for both clinicians and users at large, as there will then be more evidence-based mobile phone apps, or at least apps that have been appraised by a clinician.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Without effective self-care, people with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are at risk of prolonged healing times, hospitalization, amputation, and reduced quality of life. Despite these consequences, adherence to DFU self-care remains low. New strategies are needed to engage people in the self-care of their DFUs. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the usability and potential usefulness of a new mobile phone app to engage people with DFUs in self-care. METHODS:We developed a new mobile phone app, MyFootCare, to engage people with DFUs through goals, progress monitoring, and reminders in self-care. Key features included novel visual analytics that automatically extract and monitor DFU size information from mobile phone photos of the foot. A functional prototype of MyFootCare was created and evaluated through a user-centered design process with 11 participants with DFUs. Data were collected through semistructured interviews discussing existing self-care practices and observations of MyFootCare with participants. Data were analyzed qualitatively through thematic analysis. RESULTS:Key themes were as follows: (1) participants already used mobile phone photos to monitor their DFU progress; (2) participants had limited experience with using mobile phone apps; (3) participants desired the objective DFU size data provided by the tracking feature of MyFootCare to monitor their DFU progress; (4) participants were ambivalent about the MyFootCare goal image and diary features, commenting that these features were useful but also that it was unlikely that they would use them; and (5) participants desired to share their MyFootCare data with their clinicians to demonstrate engagement in self-care and to reflect on their progress. CONCLUSIONS:MyFootCare shows promising features to engage people in DFU self-care. Most notably, ulcer size data are useful to monitor progress and engage people. However, more work is needed to improve the usability and accuracy of MyFootCare, that is, by refining the process of taking and analyzing photos of DFUs and removing unnecessary features. These findings open the door for further work to develop a system that is easy to use and functions in everyday life conditions and to test it with people with DFUs and their carers.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of a Mobile Phone App for Patients With Pollen-Related Allergic Rhinitis: Prospective Longitudinal Field Study.

Publications

Evaluation of a Mobile Phone App for Patients With Pollen-Related Allergic Rhinitis: Prospective Longitudinal Field Study.

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