Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Sep 13, 2018
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 17, 2018 - Sep 26, 2018
Date Accepted: Dec 31, 2018
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Effect of a Tablet-Based Self-Monitoring Tool on the Usage of an Incentive Spirometer by Surgical Patients
ABSTRACT
Background:
An incentive spirometer (IS) plays a key role in the prevention of post-operative complications, and the appropriate use of an IS is especially well-known for the prevention of respiratory complications. However, IS utilization depends on the patient’s engagement, and information and communication technology (ICT) can help in this area.
Objective:
This study’s aim was to determine the effect of mobile ICT on the usage of an IS [Go-breath] app by post-operative patients after general anesthesia.
Methods:
Our study recruited a total of 42 patients from April to May 2018 who used the Go-breath app at a single tertiary hospital in South Korea. The patients were randomly classified into either a test or control group. The main function of the Go-breath app was to allow for self-reporting and frequency monitoring of IS use, deep breathing, and active coughing in real-time. The Go-breath app was identical for both the test and control groups, except for the presence of the alarm function. The test group heard an alarm every 60 minutes from 9 am to 9 pm for two days. For the test group only, a dashboard was established in the nurse’s station through which a nurse could rapidly assess the performance of multiple patients.
Results:
The incentive spirometer index (ISI) in the test group was 20.2 points higher than that in the control group (113.5 points in the test group and 93.2 points in the control group, p=.22). The system usability scale generally showed the same score in the two groups. We observed that the performance rates of IS count, active coughing, and deep breathing were also higher in the test group, but with no statistically significant difference between the groups. For the usefulness “yes or no” question, over 90.0% of patients answered “yes” and wanted more functional options and information.
Conclusions:
The use of the Go-breath app resulted in considerable differences between the test group and control group, but with no statistically significant differences. Clinical Trial: US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry : NCT03569332 institutional review board of the study site number : 2018-02-135
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