Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Human Factors
Date Submitted: Dec 12, 2020
Date Accepted: Dec 8, 2021
REDCap delivery of a patient-facing online intervention: Usability Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Online health interventions are increasingly common and are promising for patients with voice disorders because participation online does not require voice use. To address needs such as HIPAA compliance, unique user access, ability to send automated reminders, and limited development budget, we used the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) data management platform to deliver a patient-facing psychological intervention designed for patients with voice disorders. This was a novel use of REDCap. As such, formal testing was essential to rigorously evaluate the usability of REDCap for patient-facing intervention delivery.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate usability of the intervention, with a goal of serving as a use case for REDCap delivery of patient-facing interventions more broadly.
Methods:
We used REDCap survey instruments to develop the voice intervention modules, then conducted usability evaluations of the online health intervention using (1) heuristic evaluation by two evaluators, and (2) formal usability testing with seven participants using predetermined tasks, a think-aloud protocol, ease-of-use measurements, a product reaction card, and a debriefing interview.
Results:
Two evaluators completed heuristic evaluation. Based on their feedback, changes to the intervention were made prior to usability testing. Seven participants completed usability testing. All reported relatively high levels of familiarity with digital technology. Participants overall found the intervention useful and easy to use, though testing revealed some concerns with design, content, and terminology. Some concerns were readily addressed, and others required adaptations within REDCap to mitigate.
Conclusions:
We were able to successfully adapt a complex online patient-facing intervention onto the REDCap platform, and overall it did well in formal usability testing. REDCap can effectively be used for patient-facing intervention delivery, particularly if limitations of the platform are anticipated and mitigated.
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