Cardiomeds, an mHealth App for Self-Management to Support Swiss Patients With Heart Failure : 2-Stage Mixed Methods Usability Study

Article Article scientifique Article Cardiomeds, an mHealth App for Self-Management to Support Swiss Patients With Heart Failure : 2-Stage Mixed Methods Usability Study eng 2025-01-15 2025-01-15 author Simioni Lisa Marion 0009-0000-7411-827X Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 844993 author Tessitore Elena 0000-0003-1680-0152 Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 750991 Département de médecine (DEMED) author Hagberg Hamdi 0009-0005-6117-4922 Department of Computer Science, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. author Schneider-Paccot Aurélie 0009-0003-5872-882X Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. author Blondon Katherine 0000-0002-9407-8516 Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Medical Directorate, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 105577 Centre interprofessionnel de simulation (CISFM) author Gschwind Tran Liliane 0009-0001-6896-3327 Department of Pharmacy, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 640977 Liliane Gschwind author Meyer Philippe 0000-0002-2430-8953 Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 48187 Département de médecine (DEMED) author Ehrler Frédéric 0000-0001-9734-3242 Department of Computer Science, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 509959 e63941 10.2196/63941 39813081 2561-326X PMC11780291 https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e63941 Background: Mobile health apps have shown promising results in improving self-management of several chronic diseases in patients. We have developed a mobile health app (Cardiomeds) dedicated to patients with heart failure (HF). This app includes an interactive medication list; daily self-monitoring of symptoms, weight, blood pressure, and heart rate; and educational information on HF delivered through various formats. Objective: This study aimed to perform a mixed methods usability study of Cardiomeds. Methods: Smartphone users with HF were recruited from the HF outpatient clinic at the University Hospital of Geneva. The usability test was conducted in 2 stages, with modifications made to the app after the first stage to address major usability issues. Each stage required 10 participants to perform 14 tasks, such as entering vital signs, entering a new medication and time of intake, or finding information about HF. Each task was timed, sessions were recorded, and all data were anonymized. After completing the tasks, patients completed the System Usability Scale 10-item questionnaire and answered 5 open questions about their perceptions of Cardiomeds. Results: Twenty patients with HF, 75% (15/20) of whom were men, with a mean age of 55 years, were included in this study. The average time to complete all 14 tasks was 18 (SD 5.7) minutes. Manual medication entry was the most time-consuming task, taking an average of 154.40 (SD 68.08) seconds in the first stage, 103.10 (SD 42.76) seconds in the second stage, and 128 (SD 63) seconds overall. The mean overall success rate was 77% (SD 0.23%) for the first stage and 94% (SD 0.07%) for the second stage. A total of 30% (3/10) of participants in the first stage completed all tasks without any help compared with 50% (5/10) of participants during the second stage. The average System Usability Scale score was 80% (SD 17%), showing a slight increase from 79% (SD 16%) in the first stage to 80% (SD 28%) in the second stage, which qualifies the app as "good" in terms of usability. Between the 2 stages, part of the app interface was redesigned to address the key issues identified in the first stage. Despite these improvements, problems related to guidance were frequent and comprised 36% (8/22) of the problems in the first stage and 40% (6/15) in the second stage. In response to open questions, 85% (17/20) of the participants responded that they would like to use the app when it became available. Conclusions: The usability test indicated that Cardiomeds is a suitable and user-friendly app for patients with HF. The app will be further tested in a randomized clinical trial (2022-00731) after acute HF hospitalization to assess its impact on patients' knowledge about HF, self-care, and quality of life. Cardiomeds HF Chronic disease EHealth Heart failure Interactive MHealth Medication Mobile app Mobile health Mobile phone Patient empowerment Self-monitoring Smartphone Usability Usability test Dewey 616 Dewey 617 63 Département d'anesthésiologie, pharmacologie, soins intensifs et urgences 229 56 Département de médecine 221 false JMIR formative research 9 76ea9805-4db9-4302-841c-a50af63bbeb9 Article (Published version) Public formative-2025-1-e63941.pdf 3057611 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 4fb81b14ea77fb97f86299ba17c655a402f0a1e17bd47ed66d9341a7c5d742f1 openAccess Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département d'anesthésiologie, pharmacologie, soins intensifs et urgences Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de médecine

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Cardiomeds, an mHealth App for Self-Management to Support Swiss Patients With Heart Failure : 2-Stage Mixed Methods Usability Study	JMIR formative research			2025	11	61

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