Dataset Information

Usability of a Consumer Health Informatics Tool Following Completion of a Clinical Trial: Focus Group Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to be effective tools for encouraging patients with chronic diseases to self-manage their health. The success of mHealth apps is related to technology acceptance and its subsequent use by intended consumers. Therefore, it is essential to gain insights from consumers' perspectives about their use of mHealth apps in daily life. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this work was to understand consumers' perspectives on use of a self-management app following completion of a clinical trial that tested the efficacy of the app for improving health outcomes. METHODS:We conducted five focus groups with paricipants of a clinical trial (NCT03182738) who were randomized to use the video information provider (VIP) for HIV-associated nonAIDS (HANA) conditions app (VIP-HANA) or an attention control app. Thematic analysis was conducted, and the themes were organized according to the two key constructs of the technology acceptance model framework: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. RESULTS:Thirty-nine people living with HIV (20 from the intervention group and 19 from the control group) participated in the focus group sessions. Of the eight themes identified from focus group data, the five themes related to perceived usefulness were: (1) self-monitoring HIV-related symptoms of HANA conditions, (2) enhanced relationship with clinical providers, (3) improvement in physical and emotional health, (4) long-term impact of self-care strategies on improvement in symptoms of HANA conditions, and (5) inspired lifestyle changes to manage symptoms. The three themes related to perceived ease of use were: (1) easy to navigate, (2) avatar personalization, and (3) privacy/confidentiality maintained even when changing the location of app use. CONCLUSIONS:Perceived ease of use was similar in both study groups but perceived usefulness differed between study groups. Participants in both study groups found the VIP-HANA app to be useful in monitoring their symptoms and enhancing communication with their clinical care providers. However, only intervention group participants perceived the app to be useful in improving overall health and long-term symptom management. Findings from this study highlight factors that are essential to ensure the usefulness of self-management apps and facilitate sustained use of mHealth apps for people living with chronic illnesses.

SUBMITTER: Cho H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7325002 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Usability of a Consumer Health Informatics Tool Following Completion of a Clinical Trial: Focus Group Study.

Cho Hwayoung H Porras Tiffany T Porras Tiffany T Flynn Gabriella G Schnall Rebecca R

Journal of medical Internet research 20200615 6

<h4>Background</h4>Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to be effective tools for encouraging patients with chronic diseases to self-manage their health. The success of mHealth apps is related to technology acceptance and its subsequent use by intended consumers. Therefore, it is essential to gain insights from consumers' perspectives about their use of mHealth apps in daily life.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this work was to understand consumers' perspectives on use of a self-mana ...[more]

PMID: 32538796

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe language gap between health consumers and health professionals has been long recognized as the main hindrance to effective health information comprehension. Although providing health information access in consumer health language (CHL) is widely accepted as the solution to the problem, health consumers are found to have varying health language preferences and proficiencies. To simplify health documents for heterogeneous consumer groups, it is important to quantify how CHLs are different in terms of complexity among various consumer groups.ObjectiveThis study aimed to propose an informatics framework (consumer health language complexity [CHELC]) to assess the complexity differences of CHL using syntax-level, text-level, term-level, and semantic-level complexity metrics. Specifically, we identified 8 language complexity metrics validated in previous literature and combined them into a 4-faceted framework. Through a rank-based algorithm, we developed unifying scores (CHELC scores [CHELCS]) to quantify syntax-level, text-level, term-level, semantic-level, and overall CHL complexity. We applied CHELCS to compare posts of each individual on online health forums designed for (1) the general public, (2) deaf and hearing-impaired people, and (3) people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).MethodsWe examined posts with more than 4 sentences of each user from 3 health forums to understand CHL complexity differences among these groups: 12,560 posts from 3756 users in Yahoo! Answers, 25,545 posts from 1623 users in AllDeaf, and 26,484 posts from 2751 users in Wrong Planet. We calculated CHELCS for each user and compared the scores of 3 user groups (ie, deaf and hearing-impaired people, people with ASD, and the public) through 2-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and analysis of covariance tests.ResultsThe results suggest that users in the public forum used more complex CHL, particularly more diverse semantics and more complex health terms compared with users in the ASD and deaf and hearing-impaired user forums. However, between the latter 2 groups, people with ASD used more complex words, and deaf and hearing-impaired users used more complex syntax.ConclusionsOur results show that the users in 3 online forums had significantly different CHL complexities in different facets. The proposed framework and detailed measurements help to quantify these CHL complexity differences comprehensively. The results emphasize the importance of tailoring health-related content for different consumer groups with varying CHL complexities.

Project description:BACKGROUND:An increasing number of software companies work according to the agile software development method, which is difficult to integrate with user-centered design (UCD) practices. Log file analysis may provide opportunities for integrating UCD practices in the agile process. However, research within health care information technology mostly has a theoretical approach and is often focused on the researcher's interpretation of log file analyses. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to propose a systematic approach to log file analysis in this study and present this to developers to explore how they react and interpret this approach in the context of a real-world health care information system, in an attempt to answer the following question: How may log file analyses contribute to increasing the match between the health care system and its users, within the agile development method, according to agile team members? METHODS:This study comprised 2 phases to answer the research question. In the first phase, log files were collected from a health care information system and subsequently analyzed (summarizing sequential patterns, heat mapping, and clustering). In the second phase, the results of these analyses are presented to agile professionals during a focus group interview. The interpretations of the agile professionals are analyzed by open axial coding. RESULTS:Log file data of 17,924 user sessions and, in total, 176,678 activities were collected. We found that the Patient Timeline is mainly visited, with 23,707 (23,707/176,678; 13.42%) visits in total. The main unique user session occurred in 5.99% (1074/17,924) of all user sessions, and this comprised Insert Measurement Values for Patient and Patient Timeline, followed by the page Patient Settings and, finally, Patient Treatment Plan. In the heat map, we found that users often navigated to the pages Insert Measurement Values and Load Messages Collaborate. Finally, in the cluster analysis, we found 5 clusters, namely, the Information-seeking cluster, the Collaborative cluster, the Mixed cluster, the Administrative cluster, and the Patient-oriented cluster. We found that the interpretations of these results by agile professionals are related to stating hypotheses (n=34), comparing paths (n=31), benchmarking (n=22), and prioritizing (n=17). CONCLUSIONS:We found that analyzing log files provides agile professionals valuable insights into users' behavior. Therefore, we argue that log file analyses should be used within agile development to inform professionals about users' behavior. In this way, further UCD research can be informed by these results, making the methods less labor intensive. Moreover, we argue that these translations to an approach for further UCD research will be carried out by UCD specialists, as they are able to infer which goals the user had when going through these paths when looking at the log data.

Project description:BackgroundUncertainty is integral to evidence-informed decision making and is of particular importance for preference-sensitive decisions. Communicating uncertainty to patients and the public has long been identified as a goal in the informed and shared decision-making movement. Despite this, there is little quantitative research on how uncertainty in health information is perceived by readers.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the impact of different uncertainty descriptions regarding the evidence for a treatment effect in a written research summary for the public.MethodsWe developed 8 versions of a research summary on a fictitious drug for tinnitus with varying degrees (Q1), sources (Q2), and magnitudes of uncertainty (Q3). We recruited 2099 members of the German public from a web-based research panel. Of these, 1727 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were randomly presented with one of these research summaries. Randomization was conducted by using a centralized computer with a random number generator. Web-based recruitment and data collection were fully automated. Participants were not aware of the purpose of the study and alternative presentations. We measured the following outcomes: perception of the treatment effectiveness (primary), certainty in the judgement of treatment effectiveness, perception of the body of evidence, text quality, and intended decision. The outcomes were self-assessed.ResultsFor the primary outcome, we did not find a global effect for Q1 and Q2 (P=.25 and P=.73), but we found a global effect for Q3 (P=.048). Pairwise comparisons showed a weaker perception of treatment effectiveness for the research summary with 3 sources of uncertainty compared to the version with 2 sources of uncertainty (P=.04). Specifically, the proportion of the participants in the group with 3 sources of uncertainty that perceived the drug as possibly beneficial was 9% lower than that of the participants in the group with 2 sources of uncertainty (92/195, 47.2% vs 111/197, 56.3%, respectively). The proportion of the participants in the group with 3 sources of uncertainty that considered the drug to be of unclear benefit was 8% higher than that of the participants in the group with 2 sources of uncertainty (72/195, 36.9% vs 57/197, 28.9%, respectively). However, there was no significant difference compared to the version with 1 source of uncertainty (P=.31). We did not find any meaningful differences between the research summaries for the secondary outcomes.ConclusionsCommunicating even a large magnitude of uncertainty for a treatment effect had little impact on the perceived effectiveness. Efforts to improve public understanding of research are needed to improve the understanding of evidence-based health information.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00015911, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00015911.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2196/13425.

Project description:BackgroundHypertension (HTN) is a major public health concern in the United States given its wide prevalence, high cost, and poor rates of control. Multiple strategies to counter this growing epidemic have been studied, and home blood pressure (BP) monitoring, mobile health (mHealth) interventions, and referrals to clinical pharmacists for BP management have all shown potential to be effective intervention strategies.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to establish feasibility and acceptability of BPTrack, a clinical pharmacist-led mHealth intervention that aims to improve BP control by supporting home BP monitoring and medication adherence among patients with uncontrolled HTN. BPTrack is an intervention that makes home-monitored BP data available to clinical pharmacists for use in HTN management. Secondarily, this study seeks to understand barriers to adoption of this intervention, as well as points of improvement among key stakeholders, so that larger scale dissemination of the intervention may be achieved and more rigorous research can be conducted.MethodsThis study is recruiting up to 25 individuals who have poorly controlled HTN from a Family Medicine clinic affiliated with a large Midwestern academic medical center. Patient participants complete a baseline visit, including installation and instructions on how to use BPTrack. Patient participants are then asked to follow the BP monitoring protocol for a period of 12 weeks, and subsequently complete a follow-up visit at the conclusion of the study period.ResultsThe recruitment period for the pilot study began in November 2016, and data collection is expected to conclude in late-2017.ConclusionsThis pilot study seeks to document the feasibility and acceptability of a clinical pharmacist-led mHealth approach to managing HTN within a primary care setting. Through our 12-week pilot study, we expect to lend support for this approach, and lay the foundation for translating this approach into wider-scale implementation. This mHealth intervention seeks to leverage the multidisciplinary care team already in place within primary care, and to improve health outcomes for patients with uncontrolled HTN.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT02898584; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02898584 (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6u3wTGbe6).

Project description:BACKGROUND:Children with hearing loss, even those identified early and who use hearing aids or cochlear implants, may face challenges in developing spoken language and literacy. This can lead to academic, behavioral, and social difficulties. There are apps for healthy children to improve their spoken language and literacy and apps that focus on sign language proficiency for children with hearing loss, but these apps are limited for children with hearing loss. Therefore, we have developed an app called Hear Me Read, which uses enhanced digital stories as therapy tools for speech, language, and literacy for children with hearing loss. The platform has therapist and parent/child modes that allow (1) the selection of high-quality, illustrated digital stories by a speech-language pathologist, parent, or child; (2) the modification of digital stories for a multitude of speech and language targets; and (3) the assignment of stories by a therapist to facilitate individualized speech and language goals. In addition, Hear Me Read makes the caregiver a core partner in engagement through functionality, whereby the caregiver can record video and audio of themselves to be played back by the child. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the user experience of the Hear Me Read app through a focus group study with caregivers and their children. METHODS:We recruited 16 participants (8 children with and without hearing loss and 8 caregivers) to participate in 1-hour focus groups. Caregivers and children interacted with the app and discussed their experiences through a semistructured group interview. We employed thematic analysis methods and analyzed the data. We used feedback from the focus group to improve the elements of the app for a larger clinical trial assessing the impact of the app on outcomes. RESULTS:We identified three themes: default needs, specific needs, and family needs. Participants found the app to be esthetically pleasing and easy to use. The findings of this study helped us to identify usability attributes and to amend app functionalities to best fit user needs. Caregivers and children appreciated the enhancements, such as highlighting of parts of speech and caregiver reading of video playback, which were made possible by the digital format. Participants expressed that the app could be used to enhance family reading sessions and family interaction. CONCLUSIONS:The findings from this focus group study are promising for the use of educational apps designed specifically for those with hearing loss who are pursuing listening and spoken language as a communication outcome. Further investigation is needed with larger sample sizes to understand the clinical impact on relevant language and literacy outcomes in this population.

Dataset Information

Usability of a Consumer Health Informatics Tool Following Completion of a Clinical Trial: Focus Group Study.

Publications

Usability of a Consumer Health Informatics Tool Following Completion of a Clinical Trial: Focus Group Study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets