Evaluating and improving the usability of a mHealth platform to assess postoperative dental pain

Abstract

OBJECTIVES : The use of interactive mobile health (mHealth) applications to monitor patient-reported postoperative pain outcomes is an emerging area in dentistry that requires further exploration. This study aimed to evaluate and improve the usability of an existing mHealth application. MATERIALS AND METHODS : The usability of the application was assessed iteratively using a 3-phase approach, including a rapid cognitive walkthrough (Phase I), lab-based usability testing (Phase II), and in situ pilot testing (Phase III). The study team conducted Phase I, while providers and patients participated in Phase II and III. RESULTS : The rapid cognitive walkthrough identified 23 potential issues that could negatively impact user experience, with the majority classified as system issues. The lab-based usability testing yielded 141 usability issues.; 43% encountered by patients and 57% by dentists. Usability problems encountered during pilot testing included undelivered messages due to mobile phone carrier and service-related issues, errors in patients’ phone number data entry, and problems in provider training. DISCUSSION : Through collaborative and iterative work with the vendor, usability issues were addressed before launching a trial to assess its efficacy. CONCLUSION : The usability of the mHealth application for postoperative dental pain was remarkably improved by the iterative analysis and interdisciplinary collaboration.

LAY SUMMARY : In this research study, we wanted to understand how much pain patients were feeling after getting dental treatment. To figure this out, we used a mobile phone app where patients could tell us how much pain they had. Before starting this main study on a large group of patients, we wanted to make sure the app was easy to use. We tried different ways to test the app and make it better. We asked the study team, dentists, and patients for feedback. Dentists and patients talked about problems with the app and how hard it was to use. When we did a test run at real dental places, we found more issues like messages not getting through, mistakes when entering phone numbers, problems with training, and registration issues. The main thing we learned is that it is important to check if an app is easy to use in different ways and to include feedback from dentists and patients. We worked closely with the company that made the app to fix these problems before starting the main study to see if the app could help patients with their dental pain after surgery.