Dataset Information

Testing Usability and Feasibility of a Mobile Educator Tool for Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Mobile interventions hold promise as an intervention modality to engage children in improving diabetes self-management education, attitudes, and behaviors. OBJECTIVE:This pilot study aimed to explore the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of delivering a mobile diabetes educational tool to parent-child pairs in a clinical setting. METHODS:This mixed methods pilot study comprised two concurrent phases with differing study participants. Phase 1 used user testing interviews to collect qualitative data on the usability and acceptability of the tool. Phase 2 used a single-arm pre- and poststudy design to quantitatively evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the intervention. Study participants (English-speaking families with youth aged 5-14 years with insulin-dependent diabetes) were recruited from an urban hospital in Massachusetts, United States. In phase 1, parent-child pairs were invited to complete the intervention together and participate in 90-min user testing interviews assessing the tool's usability and acceptability. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. In phase 2, parent-child pairs were invited to complete the intervention together in the clinical setting. Measures included parental and child knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to diabetes management (self-report surveys) and child hemoglobin A1c levels (medical record extractions); data were collected at baseline and 1-month follow-up. Pre- and postoutcomes were compared using paired t tests and the Fisher exact test. RESULTS:A total of 11 parent-child pairs (N=22) participated in phase 1 of the study, and 10 parent-child pairs (N=20) participated in phase 2 of the study. Participants viewed the mobile educational tool as acceptable (high engagement and satisfaction with the layout, activities, and videos) and identified the areas of improvement for tool usability (duration, directions, and animation). CONCLUSIONS:The findings from this pilot study suggest that the mobile educational tool is an informative, engaging, and feasible way to deliver diabetes self-management education to parents and children in an urban hospital setting. Data will inform future iterations of this mobile diabetes educational intervention to improve usability and test intervention efficacy.

SUBMITTER: Otis M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7229529 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Testing Usability and Feasibility of a Mobile Educator Tool for Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Otis Marisa M Zhu Jack J Mustafa-Kutana Suleiman N SN Bernier Angelina V AV Ma Shum Julio J Soros Dupre Arlette A AA Wang Monica L ML

JMIR formative research 20200501 5

<h4>Background</h4>Mobile interventions hold promise as an intervention modality to engage children in improving diabetes self-management education, attitudes, and behaviors.<h4>Objective</h4>This pilot study aimed to explore the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of delivering a mobile diabetes educational tool to parent-child pairs in a clinical setting.<h4>Methods</h4>This mixed methods pilot study comprised two concurrent phases with differing study participants. Phase 1 used user tes ...[more]

PMID: 32356773

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundA Childhood Obesity Risk Estimation tool (SLOPE CORE) has been developed based on prediction models using routinely available maternity and early childhood data to estimate risk of childhood obesity at 4-5 years. This study aims to test the feasibility, acceptability and usability of SLOPE CORE within an enhanced health visiting (EHV) service in the UK, as one context in which this tool could be utilised.MethodsA mixed methods approach was used to assess feasibility of implementing SLOPE CORE. Health Visitors (HVs) were trained to use the tool, and in the processes for recruiting parents into the study. HVs were recruited using purposive sampling and parents by convenience sampling. HVs and parents were invited to take part in interviews or focus groups to explore their experiences of the tool. HVs were asked to complete a system usability scale (SUS) questionnaire.ResultsFive HVs and seven parents took part in the study. HVs found SLOPE CORE easy to use with a mean SUS of 84.4, (n = 4, range 70-97.5) indicating excellent usability. Five HVs and three parents took part in qualitative work. The tool was acceptable and useful for both parents and HVs. Parents expressed a desire to know their child's risk of future obesity, provided this was accompanied by additional information, or support to modify risk. HVs appreciated the health promotion opportunity that the tool presented and felt that it facilitated difficult conversations around weight, by providing 'clinical evidence' for risk, and placing the focus of the conversation onto the tool result, rather than their professional judgement. The main potential barriers to use of the tool included the need for internet access, and concerns around time needed to have a sensitive discussion around a conceptually difficult topic (risk).ConclusionsSLOPE CORE could potentially be useful in clinical practice. It may support targeting limited resources towards families most at risk of childhood obesity. Further research is needed to explore how the tool might be efficiently incorporated into practice, and to evaluate the impact of the tool, and any subsequent interventions, on preventing childhood obesity.

Project description:BackgroundReporting of medication errors is one of the essential mechanisms to identify risky health care systems and practices that lead to medication errors. Unreported medication errors are a real issue; one of the identified causes is a burdensome medication error reporting system. An anonymous and user-friendly mobile app for reporting medication errors could be an alternative method of reporting medication error in busy health care settings.ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to report usability testing of the Medication Error Reporting App (MERA), a mobile app for reporting medication errors anonymously.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative methods were employed involving 45 different testers (pharmacists, doctors, and nurses) from a large tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Quantitative data was retrieved using task performance and rating of MERA and qualitative data were retrieved through focus group discussions. Three sessions, with 15 testers each session, were conducted from January to March 2018.ResultsThe majority of testers were pharmacists (23/45, 51%), female (35/45, 78%), and the mean age was 36 (SD 9) years. A total of 135 complete reports were successfully submitted by the testers (three reports per tester) and 79.2% (107/135) of the reports were correct. There was significant improvement in mean System Usability Scale scores in each session of the development process (P<.001) and mean time to report medication errors using the app was not significantly different between each session (P=.70) with an overall mean time of 6.7 (SD 2.4) minutes. Testers found the app easy to use, but doctors and nurses were unfamiliar with terms used especially medication process at which error occurred and type of error. Although, testers agreed the app can be used in the future for reporting, they were apprehensive about security, validation, and abuse of feedback featured in the app.ConclusionsMERA can be used to report medication errors easily by various health care personnel and it has the capacity to provide feedback on reporting. However, education on medication error reporting should be provided to doctors and nurses in Malaysia and the security of the app needs to be established to boost reporting by this method.

Project description:BackgroundAlthough research continues to support task-shifting as an effective model of delivering evidence-based practices (EBPs), little scholarship has focused how to scale up and sustain task-shifting in low- and middle-income countries, including how to sustainably supervise lay counselors. Ongoing supervision is critical to ensure EBPs are delivered with fidelity; however, the resources and expertise required to provide ongoing supervision may limit the potential to scale up and sustain task shifting. Opportunities may exist to leverage mobile technology to replace or supplement in-person supervision in low-resource contexts, but contextual variables, such as network connectivity and lay counselor preferences surrounding mobile technology, must be examined and considered when designing and implementing mobile technology supervision.MethodsThis study builds from an existing randomized trial in Kenya, wherein teachers and community health volunteers have been trained to provide trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy as lay counselors. The study will use an iterative and mixed methods approach, with qualitative interviews and a Human-Centered Design (HCD) workshop informing a non-randomized pilot trial. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with lay counselors and supervisors to understand how mobile technology is currently being used for supervision and determine the barriers and facilitators to mobile technology supervision. Data from these interviews will inform an HCD workshop, where lay counselors and supervisors "re-design" supervision to most effectively leverage mobile technology. Workshop participants will also participate in focus groups to gather perceptions on the use of HCD techniques. The final outcome of the workshop will be a set of refined workflows, which will be tested in a mixed method, nonrandomized pilot with newly trained lay counselors and existing supervisors. The pilot trial will evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and usability of mobile technology supervision through self-report questionnaires as well as perceptions of effectiveness through qualitative interviews with a subset of lay counselors and all supervisors.DiscussionThis study will provide a launching point for future research on supervision and methods to engage stakeholders to design and tailor interventions and implementation supports to fit low-resourced contexts.Trial registrationThe parent trial from which this study builds was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on August 9, 2017 ( NCT03243396 ).

Project description:BackgroundMusculoskeletal conditions account for 16% of global disability, resulting in a negative effect on millions of patients and an increasing burden on health care utilization. Digital technologies that improve health care outcomes and efficiency are considered a priority; however, innovations are often inadequately developed and poorly adopted. Further, they are rarely tested with sufficient rigor in clinical trials-the gold standard for clinical proof of efficacy. We have developed a new musculoskeletal Digital Assessment Routing Tool (DART) that allows users to self-assess and be directed to the right care. DART requires usability testing in preparation for clinical trials.ObjectiveThis study will use the iterative convergent mixed methods design to assess and mitigate all serious usability issues to optimize user experience and adoption. Using this methodology, we will provide justifiable confidence to progress to full-scale randomized controlled trials when DART is integrated into clinical management pathways. This study protocol will provide a blueprint for future usability studies of mobile health solutions.MethodsWe will collect qualitative and quantitative data from 20-30 participants aged 18 years and older for 4 months. The exact number of participants recruited will be dependent on the number of iterative cycles required to reach the study end points. Building on previous internal testing and stakeholder involvement, quantitative data collection is defined by the constructs within the ISO 9241-210-2019 standard and the system usability scale, providing a usability score for DART. Guided by the participant responses to quantitative questioning, the researcher will focus the qualitative data collection on specific usability problems. These will then be graded to provide the rationale for further DART system improvements throughout the iterative cycles.ResultsThis study received approval from the Queen Mary University of London Ethics of Research Committee (QMREC2018/48/048) on June 4, 2020. At manuscript submission, study recruitment was on-going, with data collection to be completed and results published in 2021.ConclusionsThis study will provide evidence concerning mobile health DART system usability and acceptance determining system improvements required to support user adoption and minimize suboptimal system usability as a potential confounder within subsequent noninferiority clinical trials. Success should produce a safe effective system with excellent usability, facilitating quicker and easier patient access to appropriate care while reducing the burden on primary and secondary care musculoskeletal services. This deliberately rigorous approach to mobile health innovation could be used as a guide for other developers of similar apps.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/27205.

Project description:BackgroundMusculoskeletal disorders negatively affect millions of patients worldwide, placing significant demand on health care systems. Digital technologies that improve clinical outcomes and efficiency across the care pathway are development priorities. We developed the musculoskeletal Digital Assessment Routing Tool (DART) to enable self-assessment and immediate direction to the right care.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess and resolve all serious DART usability issues to create a positive user experience and enhance system adoption before conducting randomized controlled trials for the integration of DART into musculoskeletal management pathways.MethodsAn iterative, convergent mixed methods design was used, with 22 adult participants assessing 50 different clinical presentations over 5 testing rounds across 4 DART iterations. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling, with quotas for age, habitual internet use, and English-language ability. Quantitative data collection was defined by the constructs within the International Organization for Standardization 9241-210-2019 standard, with user satisfaction measured by the System Usability Scale. Study end points were resolution of all grade 1 and 2 usability problems and a mean System Usability Scale score of ≥80 across a minimum of 3 user group sessions.ResultsAll participants (mean age 48.6, SD 15.2; range 20-77 years) completed the study. Every assessment resulted in a recommendation with no DART system errors and a mean completion time of 5.2 (SD 4.44, range 1-18) minutes. Usability problems were reduced from 12 to 0, with trust and intention to act improving during the study. The relationship between eHealth literacy and age, as explored with a scatter plot and calculation of the Pearson correlation coefficient, was performed for all participants (r=-0.2; 20/22, 91%) and repeated with a potential outlier removed (r=-0.23), with no meaningful relationships observed or found for either. The mean satisfaction for daily internet users was highest (19/22, 86%; mean 86.5, SD 4.48; 90% confidence level [CL] 1.78 or -1.78), with nonnative English speakers (6/22, 27%; mean 78.1, SD 4.60; 90% CL 3.79 or -3.79) and infrequent internet users scoring the lowest (3/22, 14%; mean 70.8, SD 5.44; 90% CL 9.17 or -9.17), although the CIs overlap. The mean score across all groups was 84.3 (SD 4.67), corresponding to an excellent system, with qualitative data from all participants confirming that DART was simple to use.ConclusionsAll serious DART usability issues were resolved, and a good level of satisfaction, trust, and willingness to act on the DART recommendation was demonstrated, thus allowing progression to randomized controlled trials that assess safety and effectiveness against usual care comparators. The iterative, convergent mixed methods design proved highly effective in fully evaluating DART from a user perspective and could provide a blueprint for other researchers of mobile health systems.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2196/27205.

Project description:BackgroundSwallowing difficulties (ie, dysphagia) are common among older adults, with a 13% to 54% prevalence. Adequate interventions to improve the swallowing function of older adults would reduce morbidity and enhance health-related quality of life outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may help alleviate dysphagia symptoms by providing programs that maximize the intensity and frequency of training without requiring high costs or regular clinic visits.ObjectiveThe aim of this pilot study was to assess the usability of swallowing training apps by quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating older adults' self-reported data, taking into consideration their educational levels and exposure to mobile technology. We conducted surveys and brief interviews while the participants used a swallowing intervention app we developed. We subsequently identified and resolved individual-specific usability issues to improve future implementation of the app protocol for older persons with swallowing difficulties.MethodsA total of 11 participants (10 women, 91%; mean age 75.7 years, SD 3.93) from two district-run senior welfare centers took part in this study. The participants were divided into a high-potential group and a low-potential group based on their total number of years of education and smart device usage. To investigate the usability of the app twice (ie, in the second week of the intervention and the postintervention stage), we used mixed methods consisting of both quantitative approaches, namely the System Usability Scale (SUS) and modified Computer Self-Efficacy Scale (mCSES) surveys, and qualitative approaches (ie, interviews).ResultsThe quantitative results of the SUS and mCSES surveys revealed that the high-potential group was more inclined to adopt and learn new technology than the low-potential group. Specifically, within the high-potential group, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the postintervention mCSES scores (median 65.50) were significantly higher than those in the second week of intervention (median 54.00; z=-2.023, P=.04). Additionally, the usability scores in the low-potential group were within the "marginal acceptability" range even after completion of an 8-week intervention program. Qualitative analyses via semi-structured interviews yielded promising outcomes regarding app acceptability, training program utilization, emotional responses, and learning experience.ConclusionsTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this usability and feasibility study is the first report of a swallowing training app designed to improve the swallowing function of older adults. Future research should consider several issues, such as user characteristics, pretraining education, and the intensity and innate characteristics of the intervention program.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Successful competitive employment has been found to be related to enhanced self-esteem, higher quality of life and reduced mental health service use for individuals living with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The effectiveness of the individual placement and support model has been demonstrated in multiple randomised controlled trials in many countries. The management of stress, depression and anxiety in the workplace may be effectively enhanced through digital mental health interventions. The WorkingWell mobile support tool ('app') is specifically designed to meet the need for illness management support for individuals with SMI in the workplace, as an adjunct to professional treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The WorkingWell app, grounded in evidence-based supported employment, is informed by user experience design. It will be tested in a pre-post design, mixed-methods pilot study to explore issues of feasibility, acceptability and usefulness, and to provide preliminary data on the impact of use. Putative mediators of improved job tenure and psychological well-being, including postintervention changes in social support, self-efficacy and work-related motivation, will be investigated. Forty individuals at least 18 years of age, meeting the eligibility requirements for supported employment services (ie, diagnosed with a mental illness meeting the criteria for severity, duration and treatment), working a minimum of 10 hours per week at study enrolment, and speaking, reading and writing in English will be recruited for the pilot study. Research staff will recruit individuals at community-based mental health agencies; provide orientation to the study, the study smartphones and the WorkingWell app; conduct research interviews including standardised measures as well as semistructured items; and provide technical assistance in telephone calls and inperson meetings. A sample of 10 agency staff will be recruited to obtain further information on the feasibility, acceptability and usefulness of WorkingWell. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:The study design and procedures are approved by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Central Office Research Review Committee and the Vermont Agency of Human Services Institutional Review Board. Study findings will be disseminated to agency partners, state agencies and funders, and to the research and technology development communities. Findings from the study will inform the design, data collection procedures and protocol for future full-scale randomised controlled trial testing of the effectiveness of the WorkingWell app, as well as investigations of work-related variables as mediators of psychological well-being and quality of life for individuals with SMI.

Project description:BackgroundThe prepandemic period saw a rise in web-based teaching. However, web-based tools for teaching the essential clinical skill of cognitive empathy (also known as perspective taking) remain limited. More of these tools are needed and require testing for ease of use and understanding by students.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the usability of the In Your Shoes web-based empathy training portal application for students using quantitative and qualitative methods.MethodsThis 3-phase formative usability study used a mixed methods design. In mid-2021, we conducted a remote observation of student participants interacting with our portal application. Their qualitative reflections were captured, followed by data analysis and iterative design refinements of the application. Overall, 8 third- and fourth-year nursing students from an undergraduate baccalaureate program at a Canadian university, in the western province of Manitoba, were included in this study. Participants in phases 1 and 2 were remotely observed by 3 research personnel while engaged in predefined tasks. In phase 3, two student participants were asked to use the application as they liked in their own environments, after which a video-recorded exit interview with a think-aloud process was conducted as participants responded to the System Usability Scale. We calculated descriptive statistics and performed content analysis to analyze the results.ResultsThis small study included 8 students with a range of technology skills. Usability themes were based on participants' comments on the application's appearance, content, navigation, and functionality. The biggest issues that participants experienced were with navigating the application's "tagging" features during video analysis and the length of educational material. We also observed variations in 2 participants' system usability scores in phase 3. This may be because of their different comfort levels with technology; however, additional research is required. We made iterative refinements to our prototype application (eg, added pop-up messages and provided a narrated video on the application's "tagging" function) based on participant feedback.ConclusionsWith increasing engagement in web-based teaching, technology has become an essential medium for receiving health care education. We developed a novel prototype application as a supplemental classroom tool to foster students' self-directed learning of empathy. This study provided direction for refinements to optimize the usability of and satisfaction with this innovative application. Qualitative feedback revealed favorable input toward learning perspective taking place on the web and helpful recommendations for improving user experiences with the application. We could not fully assess the application's key functions owing to the COVID-19 protocols. Thus, our next step is to obtain feedback from a larger sample of student users, whose experiences performing "live" video capture, annotation, and analysis will be more authentic and wholesome with the refined application. We discuss our findings in relation to research on nursing education, perspective taking, and adaptive e-learning.

Dataset Information

Testing Usability and Feasibility of a Mobile Educator Tool for Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Publications

Testing Usability and Feasibility of a Mobile Educator Tool for Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets