Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: May 13, 2020
Date Accepted: Sep 13, 2020
Usability of a mobile health application in prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy: a qualitative study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increases the risk of metabolic adverse effects among patients with prostate cancer. The transformative impact of mobile health may benefit men managing activity and nutrition at home.
Objective:
To evaluate the usability and patient experience of a newly developed mobile health application among prostate cancer patients on ADT and physicians’ beliefs about potential benefits of using this application.
Methods:
This study took place over two months beginning in March 2019. A sample of five patients initiating ADT, aged 45-75, participated in a semi-structured focus group discussion with a facilitator. Five specialist physicians also were selected for in depth interviews. An IRB-approved script was used to guide both the focus group and physician interviews. Usability was tested through specific scenarios presented to patients—that included downloading the mobile application, entering information on physical activity and meals, and navigation. The focus group and interviews were audio recorded and s transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyze transcripts iteratively and exhaustively. Thematic discrepancies between reviewers were resolved through consensus.
Results:
Among patient participants, the mean age was 62 years and included 4 White and 1 Hispanic/Latino participants. Physician specialists included two urologists, two medical oncologists, and one radiation oncologist. Analyses revealed that patients appreciated the holistic care enabled by the application. Difficulties were observed with registration of the application among 3/5 patients; however, all patients were able to input information about their physical activity and navigate the options within the application. Most patients (4/5) were able to input data on their recent meal. Among healthcare physicians, the dominant themes reflected in interviews included undermining of patient ability to use technology, fear of technology, and concern for the ability of older patients to access mobile technology.
Conclusions:
Patients had an overall positive experience of using a mobile application to record and track diet and exercise. Usability was observed to be an important factor for adoption—and was determined by ease of registration and use, intuitive appearance of the application, and focus on holistic cancer care. Physicians believed that the application was easy to use but raised concerns about usability among older men who may not commonly use smartphone applications. Clinical Trial: NA
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