JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Children with Medical Complexity (CMC) are a group of young people who have severe complex chronic conditions, substantial family-identified service needs, functional limitations, and high healthcare resource use. Technology-enabled hospital-to-home interventions designed to deliver comprehensive care in the home setting are needed to ease CMC family stress, provide proactive and comprehensive care to this fragile population, and avoid hospital admissions, where possible.

Objective:

The objective of this usability testing study was to assess areas of strength and opportunity within the DigiComp Kids system— a hospital-to-home intervention for CMC, their families, and care providers.

Methods:

Hospital-based clinicians, family members of medically complex children, and home-based clinicians participated in DigiComp Kids usability testing. Participants were virtually recorded and tasked to think aloud when completing usability testing tasks. Participants were scored on metrics of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction, and a total usability score was calculated using the Single Usability Metric (SUM). Participants also provided insights into user experiences during post-usability testing interviews.

Results:

A total of 15 participants (5 hospital-based clinicians, 6 family members, 4 home-based clinicians) participated in DigiComp Kids usability testing. Participants were able to complete all assigned tasks independently. Error-free rates for tasks ranged from 58 – 100%; average satisfaction rating across groups was 80% or higher, as measured by the Single Ease Question (SEQ). Task times of participants were variable as compared to task times of an expert DigiComp Kids user. SUM scores ranged from 80.5 – 89.5%. In qualitative interviews, participants stressed the need to find the right fit between user needs and the required effort to use the system. Interviews also revealed that the value of the DigiComp Kids system was in its ability to create a digital bridge between hospital and home, enabling participants to foster and maintain connections across boundaries.

Conclusions:

Usability testing study revealed strong scores across groups. Insights gained include the importance of tailoring the implementation of the system to match individual user needs, streamlining key system features, and consideration of the meaning attached to system use by participants to allow for insight into system adoption and sustainment.