Background Self-care and participation of patients in improving health and increasing awareness about the risk factors that affect the development of disease in patients with urinary tract stones are influential factors in controlling and improving the quality of life in these patients. In this regard, the availability and capability of smartphones increase patients’ self-care ability. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a self-care application based on smartphones for patients with urinary tract stones. Methods The present study is a developmental and applied study that was conducted in three phases. First, the information needs and functionalities of the self-care application were determined by surveying 101 patients, 32 urologists and nephrologists, 11 nurses, and six other specialists. In the second phase, the initial sample of the smartphone-based application was created, and in the third phase, the designed application was evaluated by 15 experts using the standard Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ 18.3) and Nielsen’s Attributes of Usability (NAU) questionnaire. Results of the questionnaires were entered into SPSS-23 software for analysis using descriptive statistics. Results In the first phase, 21 information elements and nine critical functionalities for the self-care application were identified, and then this application was designed by Java programming language. The evaluation of experts showed that two aspects of the quality of system user interface from the user's point of view and the overall performance of the application together obtained the highest score (6.43 from 7), which was equal to 91.85%. Then according to the experts, aspects of the degree of convenience and user-friendliness of the application received the highest score (6.10 from 7), which was equal to 87.14%, and also all aspects of the application were evaluated at an acceptable level. In general, results of the evaluation of application's usability by experts showed that the usability of the application for patients with urinary tract stones was at an acceptable level. Conclusion According to the results obtained from evaluating the smartphone-based application for patients with urinary tract stones, this self-care application can be used to prevent and control urinary tract stones and facilitate self-care and active patient participation in care.
Purpose This study aimed to identify and validate the information content and functional capabilities of a smartphone-based application for the self-care of patients with urinary tract stones. Methods and materials First, by reviewing studies and urology-oriented books, studying 214 medical records, and consulting with specialists, the information items and basic capabilities of the application were identified, and in the next stage, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed based on the information obtained from the previous step. Then, experts' opinions were considered to confirm the validity and reliability of the questionnaire; the designed questionnaire was distributed among various participants. Finally, the application's leading information elements, contents, and functional capabilities were explored by analyzing the questionnaire results. Results To conduct the survey, 101 patients with Urinary Stone Diseases (USD), 32 urologists and nephrologists, 11 nurses, and six other specialists were recruited. After analyzing the results of the filled questionnaire, 21 information elements and nine surveyed capabilities that were more important than others were selected to be used in designing the application. Some of the principal information elements that were used in the application design include: the cause of various stones in the body, clinical manifestations, laboratory results, treatments of various stones, the role of environmental factors in the treatment, the role of nutrition in the treatment and formation of stones, and different diagnostic methods. Some of the important features of the application include: medication and fluid intake reminders, laboratory test reminders, radiography and periodic examination reminders, surgical history, and easy access to medical centers for information. The mean score of information elements was 75.07 from the patients' perspective, 65.09 from the physicians' perspective, and 80.09 from the nurses' perspective. Also, the mean score of application capabilities was 31.89 from the patients' perspective, 30.37 from the physicians' perspective, and 35.09 from the nurses' perspective. The difference in the mean scores of the above variables was statistically significant (p < 0.05) in both layers. Conclusion In this study, informational and functional needs and capabilities were presented for designing a mobile-based application that helps in disease management in patients with urinary tract stones.
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