Feasibility, Acceptability, and Usability of Physiology and Emotion Monitoring in Adults and Children Using the Novel Time2Feel Smartphone Application
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC10708754 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe rising number of dementia diagnoses and imminent adoption of disease-modifying treatments necessitate innovative approaches to identify individuals at risk, monitor disease course and intervene non-pharmacologically earlier in the disease course. Digital assessments of dementia risk and cognitive function have the potential to outperform traditional in-person assessments in terms of their affordability, accuracy and longitudinal tracking abilities. However, their accessibility and reliability in older adults is unclear.AimsTo evaluate the usability and reliability of a smartphone assessment of lifestyle and cognitive factors relevant to dementia risk in a group of UK-based older adults.MethodCognitively healthy adults (n = 756) recruited through the Dementias Platform UK Great Minds volunteer register completed three assessments of cognitive function and dementia risk over a 3-month period and provided usability feedback on the Five Lives smartphone application (app). We evaluated cognitive test scores for age, gender and higher education effects, normality distributions, test-retest reliability and their relationship with participants' lifestyle dementia risk factors.ResultsParticipants found the app 'easy to use', 'quick to complete' and 'enjoyable'. The cognitive tests showed normal or near-to-normal distributions, variable test-retest reliabilities and age-related effects. Only tests of verbal ability showed gender and education effects. The cognitive tests did not correlate with lifestyle dementia risk scores.ConclusionsThe Five Lives assessment demonstrates high usability and reliability among older adults. These findings highlight the potential of digital assessments in dementia research and clinical practice, enabling improved accessibility and better monitoring of cognitive health on a larger scale than traditional in-person assessments.
| S-EPMC11443166 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDiet monitoring has been linked with improved eating habits and positive health outcomes such as prevention of obesity. However, this is often unsustainable as traditional methods place a high burden on both participants and researchers through pen and paper recordings and manual nutrient coding respectively. The digitisation of dietary monitoring has greatly reduced these barriers. This paper proposes a diet application with a novel food recognition feature with a usability study conducted in the real world.MethodsThis study describes the development of a mobile diet application (MyDietCam) targeted at healthy Malaysian adults. Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out among dietitians and potential users to determine ideal features in a diet application. Thirty participants were recruited from a local university to log their meals through MyDietCam for six days and submit the Malay mHealth Application Usability Questionnaire (M-MAUQ) at the end of the study.ResultsThe findings from the FGD led to the implementation of the main features: individualised recommendations, food logging through food recognition to reduce steps for data entry and provide detailed nutrient analyses through visuals. An average overall usability score of 5.13 out of a maximum of seven was reported from the M-MAUQ which is considered acceptable.ConclusionThe development of a local (Malaysian) mobile diet application with acceptable usability may be helpful in sustaining the diet monitoring habit to improve health outcomes. Future work should focus on improving the issues raised before testing the effectiveness of the application for improving health outcomes.
| S-EPMC9834938 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundObesity interventions face the problem of weight regain after treatment as a result of low compliance. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies could potentially increase compliance and aid both health care providers and patients.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and usability and define system constraints of an mHealth system used to monitor dietary habits of adolescents in real life, as a first step in the development of a self-monitoring and lifestyle management system against adolescent obesity.MethodsWe recruited 26 students from a high school in Stockholm, Sweden. After a 30-minute information meeting and 5-minute individual instruction on how to use an mHealth system (smartphone with app and two external sensors), participants used it for 2-3 weeks to objectively collect dietary habits. The app and sensors were used by the participants, without supervision, to record as many main meals and snacks as possible in real life. Feasibility was assessed following the "mHealth evidence reporting and assessment checklist," and usability was assessed by questionnaires. Compliance was estimated based on system use, where a registration frequency of 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) per day for the period of the experiment, constituted 100% compliance.ResultsParticipants included in the analysis had a mean age of 16.8 years (SD 0.7 years) and BMI of 21.9 kg/m2 (SD 4.1 kg/m2). Due to deviations from study instructions, 2 participants were excluded from the analysis. During the study, 6 participants required additional information on system use. The system received a 'Good' grade (77.1 of 100 points) on the System Usability Scale, with most participants reporting that they were comfortable using the smartphone app. Participants expressed a willingness to use the app mostly at home, but also at school; most of their improvement suggestions concerned design choices for the app. Of all main meals, the registration frequency increased from 70% the first week to 76% the second week. Participants reported that 40% of the registered meals were home-prepared, while 34% of the reported drinks contained sugar. On average, breakfasts took place at 8:30 AM (from 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM), lunches took place at 12:15 PM (from 10:15 AM to 6:15 PM), and dinners took place at 7:30 PM (from 3:00 PM to 11:45 PM). When comparing meal occurrence during weekdays vs weekends, breakfasts and lunches were eaten 3 hours later during weekends, while dinner timing was unaffected.ConclusionsFrom an infrastructural and functional perspective, system use was feasible in the current context. The smartphone app appears to have high acceptability and usability in high school students, which are the intended end-users. The system appears promising as a relatively low-effort method to provide real-life dietary habit measurements associated with overweight and obesity risk.
| S-EPMC7404017 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Essential hypertension (EH) is the most common chronic disease in the United States and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle interventions (e.g., diet, exercise, stress management) to reduce blood pressure (BP) are often complex with varying effectiveness. Breathing awareness meditation (BAM) is a stress management strategy with encouraging effects on BP, though widespread dissemination is hampered by the lack of an easy-to-use methodology to train and monitor BAM practices. A smartphone application (Tension Tamer [TT]) that implements BAM and tracks adherence has shown promise in addressing these gaps. This 6-month dose-response feasibility trial evaluated effects of the app on BP to further optimize BAM user guidelines. METHODS:Sixty-four adults with prehypertension were randomized to complete TT-guided BAM sessions for 5-, 10-, or 15-min intervals twice daily over 6 months. Continuous heart rate readings derived from the phone's video camera via reflective photoplethysmography were used as feedback and as an index of time-stamped adherence. Outcomes (resting BP, HR) were collected at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 6-months. RESULTS:Mixed modeling results showed a significant time effect for systolic BP (SBP) with a dose-response effect at Months 3 and 6. Adherence declined over time and was lowest in the 15-min dose condition, though SBP reductions were maintained. Generally, adherence was negatively associated with dose as the study progressed. CONCLUSIONS:Smartphone-implemented BAM appears to reduce SBP and can be a low-cost method to reach large populations. (PsycINFO Database Record
| S-EPMC6107378 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundYoung adults with serious mental illness (SMI) have higher smoking rates and lower cessation rates than young adults without SMI. Scalable interventions such as smartphone apps with evidence-based content (eg, the National Cancer Institute's [NCI's] QuitGuide and quitSTART) could increase access to potentially appealing and effective treatment for this group but have yet to be tested in this population.ObjectiveThe goal of this user-centered design study is to determine the user experience (including usability and acceptability) of 2 widely available apps developed by the NCI-QuitGuide and quitSTART-among young adult tobacco users with SMI.MethodsWe conducted usability and acceptability testing of QuitGuide and quitSTART among participants with SMI aged between 18 and 35 years who were stable in community mental health treatment between 2019 and 2020. Participants were randomly assigned to use QuitGuide or quitSTART on their smartphones. App usability was evaluated at baseline and following a 2-week field test of independent use via a video-recorded task completion protocol. Using a mixed method approach, we triangulated 4 data sources: nonparticipant observation, open-ended interviews, structured interviews (including the System Usability Scale [SUS]), and backend app use data obtained from the NCI. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants were 17 smokers who were not interested in quitting, with a mean age of 29 (SD 4) years; 41% (n=7) presented with psychotic disorders. Participants smoked an average of 15 (SD 7) cigarettes per day. The mean SUS scores for QuitGuide were similar at visits one and two (mean 64, SD 18 and mean 66, SD 18, respectively). The mean SUS scores for quitSTART numerically increased from visit one (mean 55, SD 20) to visit two (mean 64, SD 16). Acceptability scores followed the same pattern. Observed task completion rates were at least 75% (7/9 for QuitGuide, 6/8 for quitSTART) for both apps at both visits for all but 2 tasks. During the 13-day trial period, QuitGuide and quitSTART users interacted with their assigned app on an average of 4.6 (SD 2.8) days versus 10.8 (SD 3.5) days, for a mean total of 5.6 (SD 3.8) interactions versus 41 (SD 26) interactions, and responded to a median of 1 notification (range 0-8) versus 18.5 notifications (range 0-37), respectively. Qualitative comments indicated moderate to high satisfaction overall but also included concerns about the accuracy of the apps' feedback.ConclusionsBoth QuitGuide and quitSTART had acceptable levels of usability and mixed levels of acceptability among young adults with SMI. The higher level of engagement with quitSTART suggests that quitSTART may be a favorable tool for young adult smokers with SMI. However, clinical support or coaching may be needed to overcome initial usability issues.
| S-EPMC8295834 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background/objectivesRemote monitoring as a component of chronic heart failure (CHF) management programmes has demonstrated utility in reducing the risk of rehospitalisation and mortality. There is little evidence on mobile health app facilitated remote monitoring in India. We conducted a pilot usability and feasibility assessment of a smartphone-based application (Suhriday) to remotely monitor patients with CHF.MethodsWe used a mixed-methods design. Usability testing consisted of the think-aloud approach followed by semistructured in-depth interviews (SSIs) and a satisfaction questionnaire. Feasibility testing was done using acceptability and user satisfaction questionnaires in addition to SSIs. We trained five purposively sampled patients with CHF (based on health literacy and gender) and their caregivers (n=10) in self-care monitoring and app use. Usability was assessed using metrics such as task completion, time required for task completion and user satisfaction using Brooke's System Usability Scale (SUS). Content analysis of the transcripts with deductive coding was performed for both usability and feasibility interviews. The number and types of medical alerts transmitted through the app were captured and escalated to the treating team.ResultsCritical tasks involving (1) opening the app and identifying task list, (2) reporting blood pressure, weight, heart rate and fluid intake and (3) reporting symptoms were completed within 60 s by four patients. Median (IQR) SUS score was 85 (75-92.5) indicating high level of usability. There were 62 alerts from four patients over 4 weeks, with 36 (58.1%) excess fluid intake alerts and 16 (25.8%) blood pressure variations being the most frequent. One participant had challenges using the app and was monitored through active phone calls.ConclusionOverall usability and satisfaction with Suhriday were good and we were able to remotely manage patients. However, patients with limited health literacy and those facing technological challenges required active structured telephone support.
| S-EPMC9413287 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFalls have implications for older adults' health and well-being. Strength and balance interventions significantly reduce the risk of falls. However, patients do not always perform the unsupervised home exercise needed for fall reduction.ObjectiveThis study aims to develop motivational smartphone apps co-designed with health professionals and older adults to support patients to perform exercise proven to aid fall reduction and to explore the apps' usability and acceptability with both health professionals and patients.MethodsThere were 3 phases of app development that included analysis, design, and implementation. For analysis, we examined the literature to establish key app components and had a consultation with 12 older adults attending a strength and balance class, exercise instructors, and 3 fall services. For design, we created prototype apps and conducted 2 patient and public involvement workshops, one with 5 health professionals and the second with 8 older adults from an exercise group. The apps were revised based on the feedback. For implementation, we tested them with one fall service and their patients for 3 weeks. Participatory evaluation was used through testing, semistructured interviews, and focus groups to explore acceptability and usability. Focus groups were conducted with the service that tested the apps and two other services. Qualitative data were analyzed using the framework approach.ResultsOn the basis of findings from the literature and consultations in the analysis phase, we selected Behavior Change Techniques, such as goal setting, action planning, and feedback on behavior, to be key parts of the app. We developed goals using familiar icons for patients to select and add while self-reporting exercise and decided to develop 2 apps, one for patients (My Activity Programme) and one for health professionals (Motivate Me). This enabled health professionals to guide patients through the goal-setting process, making it more accessible to nontechnology users. Storyboards were created during the design phase, leading to prototypes of "Motivate Me" and "My Activity Programme." Key changes from the workshops included being able to add more details about the patients' exercise program and a wider selection of goals within "Motivate Me." The overall app design was acceptable to health professionals and older adults. In total, 7 patients and 3 health professionals participated in testing in the implementation phase, with interviews conducted with 6 patients and focus groups, with 3 teams (11 health professionals). Barriers, facilitators, and further functionality were identified for both apps, with 2 cross-cutting themes around phone usability and confidence.ConclusionsThe motivational apps were found to be acceptable for older adults taking part in the design stage and patients and health professionals testing the apps in a clinical setting. User-led design is important to ensure that the apps are usable and acceptable.
| S-EPMC7551104 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using an app-based technology to train balance in the older population.DesignProspective feasibility study.SettingThe study was conducted in a university setting and participants' homes.ParticipantsThirty-five volunteers ≥55 years old were recruited.InterventionParticipants were asked to follow a balance exercise programme 7 days a week for 3 weeks using a phone application. Seventeen participants trained for a further 3 weeks.Outcome measuresPostural sway measures during quiet standing with feet at shoulder width apart and feet together, one leg standing and tandem stance were measured at baseline, and at the end of the 3 and 6 training weeks; the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) assessed participants' physical activity level before training; and app acceptability was recorded using a user experience questionnaire.ResultsParticipants on the 3 and 6-week programme on average completed 20 (±5) and 38 (±11) days of training, respectively, and all scored moderate to high on the IPAQ. Between baseline and the 3-week assessments, statistically significant improvements were observed for anteroposterior sway, mediolateral sway, sway area during tandem stance, for anteroposterior sway during one leg standing and for sway area during feet together stance. Improvements were observed at 6 week compared with baseline but those between 3 and 6 weeks were not significant. Based on the questionnaire, participants reported that the app is an appropriate tool for balance training (77%), they reported benefits from the training (50%) and found it easy to fit it into daily routine (88%).ConclusionThe high level of adherence and improvements observed in the analysed measures demonstrate the feasibility of using an app to train balance in moderately to highly physically active older participants. This demonstrates that given appropriate tools the older population is positive towards and receptive of digital interventions aimed to improve balance.
| S-EPMC7713209 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionRemote monitoring technologies (RMTs) can measure cognitive and functional decline objectively at-home, and offer opportunities to measure passively and continuously, possibly improving sensitivity and reducing participant burden in clinical trials. However, there is skepticism that age and cognitive or functional impairment may render participants unable or unwilling to comply with complex RMT protocols. We therefore assessed the feasibility and usability of a complex RMT protocol in all syndromic stages of Alzheimer's disease and in healthy control participants.MethodsFor 8 weeks, participants (N = 229) used two activity trackers, two interactive apps with either daily or weekly cognitive tasks, and optionally a wearable camera. A subset of participants participated in a 4-week sub-study (N = 45) using fixed at-home sensors, a wearable EEG sleep headband and a driving performance device. Feasibility was assessed by evaluating compliance and drop-out rates. Usability was assessed by problem rates (e.g., understanding instructions, discomfort, forgetting to use the RMT or technical problems) as discussed during bi-weekly semi-structured interviews.ResultsMost problems were found for the active apps and EEG sleep headband. Problem rates increased and compliance rates decreased with disease severity, but the study remained feasible.ConclusionsThis study shows that a highly complex RMT protocol is feasible, even in a mild-to-moderate AD population, encouraging other researchers to use RMTs in their study designs. We recommend evaluating the design of individual devices carefully before finalizing study protocols, considering RMTs which allow for real-time compliance monitoring, and engaging the partners of study participants in the research.
| S-EPMC11005503 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility, usability and acceptability of two non-invasive, multiparameter, continuous physiological monitoring (MCPM) technologies for use in neonates within a resource-constrained healthcare setting in sub-Saharan Africa.DesignA qualitative study using in-depth interviews and direct observations to describe healthcare professional and caregiver perspectives and experiences with investigational MCPM technologies from EarlySense and Sibel compared with selected reference technologies.SettingPumwani Maternity Hospital is a public, high-volume, tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.ParticipantsIn-depth interviews were conducted with five healthcare administrators, 12 healthcare providers and 10 caregivers. Direct observations were made of healthcare providers using the technologies on 12 neonates overall.ResultsDesign factors like non-invasiveness, portability, ease-of-use and ability to measure multiple vital signs concurrently emerged as key themes supporting the usability and acceptability of the investigational technologies. However, respondents also reported feasibility challenges to implementation, including overcrowding in the neonatal unit, lack of reliable access to electricity and computers, and concerns about cost and maintenance needs. To improve acceptability, respondents highlighted the need for adequate staffing to appropriately engage caregivers and dispel misconceptions about the technologies.ConclusionStudy participants were positive about the usefulness of the investigational technologies to strengthen clinical care quality and identification of at-risk neonates for better access to timely interventions. These technologies have the potential to improve equity of access to appropriate healthcare services and neonatal outcomes in sub-Saharan African healthcare facilities. However, health system strengthening is also critical to support sustainable uptake of technologies into routine care.Trial registration numberNCT03920761.
| S-EPMC8753390 | biostudies-literature