JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With the rapid development of information technology, mobile electronic equipment has been popularized. The survey by the World Health Organization shows that mHealth is rising worldwide, and mHealth has been applied to many medical and health fields. Pelvic floor muscle training（PFMT）is the first-line treatment for women with urinary incontinence, and patients can self-manage and practice through the PFMT application. The design of the PFMT app will affect the user's experience and adherence. Through the collection and collation of literature, this paper classified and elaborated the current research results related to the application of PFMT and explored the direction and evidence to promote the improvement of the app interface.

Objective:

Review the existing research on the PFMT app, to identify what the current research on the PFMT app concentrations on. From which to find and summarize the research on PFMT existing obstacles and future improvement strategies for app interface design.

Methods:

Keywords were searched in three major citation databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions to find the literature published. After screening the titles and abstracts of all retrieved citations with inclusion and exclusion criteria, the researchers need to review the full text and then final discussion and confirm the relevance of all included papers. First, identify the current research area on PFMT application from each paper. Second, the existing suggestion to improve interface design were extracted from certain topic research. Finally, the research topic classification and interface design problem summary are carried out.

Results:

A total of 26 papers and one supplement were included. 7 primary research directions were identified. 6 key issues and 3 crucial pages of interface design are sorted out, which provides direction and a root for the progress of interface design in the future.

Conclusions:

Many studies have suggested the necessity and estimation of interface redesign, but there is no advanced study and implementation. The interface design of PFMT app is one of the important directions for future application iteration and upgrading. The interface design will help reduce stigma and enhance the user experience, which to a great extent contributes to strengthening user engagement and adherence.