JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hay fever is a highly prevalent, heterogenous, and multifactorial disease that may benefit from longitudinal assessments through the implementation of mobile health (mHealth) principles. We have previously attempted to establish an effective mHealth platform for hay fever patients through AllerSearch, our in-house smartphone application that assesses electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) through questionnaires on hay fever and provides evidence-based advice. In order to be used by the general public, an investigation on its reliability and validity is necessary.

Objective:

We aim to assess the internal consistency (reliability) and validity of subjective symptom data collection through our application AllerSearch, as well as the correlation between the paper-based and app-based hay fever questionnaires (Japanese Allergic Conjunctival Disease Standard QOL questionnaire).

Methods:

This study adopted a prospective, cross-sectional observational design.

Results:

Our results showed a satisfactory internal consistency for most questionnaire items (Cronbach’s alpha > .7), except for nasal symptoms in the app-based version (Cronbach’s alpha = .331). Pearson’s correlation analysis yielded a significant positive correlation between the two platforms (r = 0.971, p < 0.001). A mean difference of 3.35 units (95% limits of agreement: -6.51–13.2) was also recorded.

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate that ePRO collection through AllerSearch is a valid and reliable tool to assess hay fever, contributing to the advantages of the mHealth platform.