Maryam Ahmadi1, Seyedeh Nafiseh Shahrokhi1, Morteza Khavaninzadeh2, Jahanpour Alipour3,4. 1. Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Department of General Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. 4. Department of Health Information Technology, School of Paramedical, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Due to the chronic, progressive, and debilitating nature of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), it is necessary to observe and maintain self-care management accordingly. This study was conducted to develop a mobile application based on the Android operating system for self-care management of Iranian patients with BCRL. METHODS: An applied developmental study was conducted in 2020. The users' information needs assessment as well as design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the mobile app for self-care management of patients with BCRL was done by searching the literature, reviewing the existing mobile applications, and surveying the users' needs. The mobile app was designed using the Android Studio environment and Java programming language in the Android operating system. The usability of the app was evaluated by 30 patients with BCRL using the questionnaire for user interface satisfaction-seventh version (QUIS 7). RESULTS: The mobile app for BCRL included demographic information, clinical information, lifestyle and system functions (drug use, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, communication, and test time reminder). User usability evaluation of the app content and functions confirmed that it was appropriate and satisfactory for the self-management of women with BCRL. CONCLUSION: The mobile app was appropriate in terms of the content, function, and quality for improving the patients' lifestyle and education and self-management of BCRL symptoms according to its usability evaluation from the end-users' (patients) perspective. It is suggested that studies should be performed to confirm the effectiveness and identify the clinical significance of the app. Thieme. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Due to the chronic, progressive, and debilitating nature of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), it is necessary to observe and maintain self-care management accordingly. This study was conducted to develop a mobile application based on the Android operating system for self-care management of Iranian patients with BCRL. METHODS: An applied developmental study was conducted in 2020. The users' information needs assessment as well as design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the mobile app for self-care management of patients with BCRL was done by searching the literature, reviewing the existing mobile applications, and surveying the users' needs. The mobile app was designed using the Android Studio environment and Java programming language in the Android operating system. The usability of the app was evaluated by 30 patients with BCRL using the questionnaire for user interface satisfaction-seventh version (QUIS 7). RESULTS: The mobile app for BCRL included demographic information, clinical information, lifestyle and system functions (drug use, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, communication, and test time reminder). User usability evaluation of the app content and functions confirmed that it was appropriate and satisfactory for the self-management of women with BCRL. CONCLUSION: The mobile app was appropriate in terms of the content, function, and quality for improving the patients' lifestyle and education and self-management of BCRL symptoms according to its usability evaluation from the end-users' (patients) perspective. It is suggested that studies should be performed to confirm the effectiveness and identify the clinical significance of the app. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Authors: Muhammad Nazrul Islam; Md Mahboob Karim; Toki Tahmid Inan; A K M Najmul Islam Journal: BMC Med Inform Decis Mak Date: 2020-02-03 Impact factor: 2.796
Authors: Mei Rosemary Fu; Deborah Axelrod; Amber Guth; Melissa L McTernan; Jeanna M Qiu; Zhuzhu Zhou; Eunjung Ko; Cherlie Magny-Normilus; Joan Scagliola; Yao Wang Journal: Biomedicines Date: 2021-07-14