Development of Open Backend Structures for Health Care Professionals to Improve Participation in App Developments: Pilot Usability Study of a Medical App.

Autor:	Dittrich F; Department for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.; Department of Digital Medicine, Medical Faculty Ost-Westfalen-Lippe, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.; Joint Centre Bergisch Land, Remscheid, Germany., Albrecht UV; Department of Digital Medicine, Medical Faculty Ost-Westfalen-Lippe, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany., Scherer J; Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Orthopaedic Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa., Becker SL; Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany., Landgraeber S; Department for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany., Back DA; Clinic of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Fessmann K; Clinic of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany., Haversath M; Clinic for Orthopaedics, Hospital Nettetal, Nettetal, Germany., Beck S; Sportclinic Hellersen, Hellersen, Germany., Abbara-Czardybon M; Joint Centre Bergisch Land, Remscheid, Germany., Quitmann H; Joint Centre Bergisch Land, Remscheid, Germany., Harren AK; Division for Plastic Surgery, Department for Traumatology and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany., Aitzetmüller M; Division for Plastic Surgery, Department for Traumatology and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany., Klietz ML; Division for Plastic Surgery, Department for Traumatology and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	JMIR formative research [JMIR Form Res] 2023 Apr 13; Vol. 7, pp. e42224. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 13.
DOI:	10.2196/42224
Abstrakt:	Background: Efficient digitization in medicine still is in its infancy but undeniably has great potential for current and future challenges in health care. Thus far, the rollout of medical apps has not resulted in widespread use of smartphones in the German health care sector-the reasons for this have not been clarified so far. Nevertheless, the lack of user involvement in the development process and content creation might contribute to low acceptance of these products. Objective: This study aims to outline an approach to involve medical expertise without any coding knowledge for developing medical app content and functions. Methods: An end user-operable backend was built. Its usability was evaluated using a usability evaluation test protocol. The results of the usability tests were evaluated by the app development team, and the usability test was repeated for optimizing backend usability. In total, 40 criteria to measure the ease of app usage were defined a priori. The usability test comprised 20 tasks that had to be fulfilled. Usability tasks were analyzed for completion, dropout, and test duration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital videoconferencing platforms (Zoom and QuickTime Player) were used to complete usability questionnaires. Finally, several backend-based apps for several specialties (infectiology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and orthopedics) were developed by health care professionals as prototypes. Results: Initial usability testing was conducted with 5 participants (4 men and 1 woman; mean age 39.2, SD 5.97 years). All of them could complete the assigned backend tasks with only a few workflow interruptions and some minor errors. After usability optimization, the workflow completion time decreased from 5.03 minutes to 3.50 minutes, indicating a time saving. The basic backend structure was clear to all test users and the handling was intuitive to learn. Some minor errors in the backend occurred during the test rounds. The apps developed using the aforementioned approach are in clinical use as a proof of concept. Conclusions: Backends offering operability for medical professionals might have great potential for app development in the mobile health sector. Sophisticated and time-saving usability are pivotal for the acceptance of medical software, as illustrated by the backend-based apps presented herein, which are in clinical use as a proof of concept. Basic interventions are essential and sufficient for adequate usability optimization. Practicable, well-structured software usability evaluation is possible based on the usability evaluation test protocol. (©Florian Dittrich, Urs-Vito Albrecht, Julian Scherer, Sören L Becker, Stefan Landgraeber, David Alexander Back, Kai Fessmann, Marcel Haversath, Sascha Beck, Mona Abbara-Czardybon, Henning Quitmann, Anna Katharina Harren, Matthias Aitzetmüller, Marie Luise Klietz. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 13.04.2023.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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