Background Besides anti-inflammatory medication, physical exercise represents a cornerstone of modern treatment for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AS). Digital health apps (DHAs) such as the yoga app YogiTherapy could remotely empower patients to autonomously and correctly perform exercises. Objective This study aimed to design and develop a smartphone-based app, YogiTherapy, for patients with AS. To gain additional insights into the usability of the graphical user interface (GUI) for further development of the app, this study focused exclusively on evaluating users’ interaction with the GUI. Methods The development of the app and the user experience study took place between October 2020 and March 2021. The DHA was designed by engineering students, rheumatologists, and patients with AS. After the initial development process, a pilot version of the app was evaluated by 5 patients and 5 rheumatologists. The participants had to interact with the app’s GUI and complete 5 navigation tasks within the app. Subsequently, the completion rate and experience questionnaire (attractiveness, perspicuity, efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty) were completed by the patients. Results The results of the posttest questionnaires showed that most patients were already familiar with digital apps (4/5, 80%). The task completion rates of the usability test were 100% (5/5) for the tasks T1 and T2, which included selecting and starting a yoga lesson and navigating to an information page. Rheumatologists indicated that they were even more experienced with digital devices (2/5, 40% experts; 3/5, 60% intermediates). In this case, they scored task completion rates of 100% (5/5) for all 5 usability tasks T1 to T5. The mean results from the User Experience Questionnaire range from −3 (most negative) to +3 (most positive). According to rheumatologists’ evaluations, attractiveness (mean 2.267, SD 0.401) and stimulation (mean 2.250, SD 0.354) achieved the best mean results compared with dependability (mean 2.000, SD 0.395). Patients rated attractiveness at a mean of 2.167 (SD 0.565) and stimulation at a mean of 1.950 (SD 0.873). The lowest mean score was reported for perspicuity (mean 1.250, SD 1.425). Conclusions The newly developed and tested DHA YogiTherapy demonstrated moderate usability among rheumatologists and patients with rheumatic diseases. The app can be used by patients with AS as a complementary treatment. The initial evaluation of the GUI identified significant usability problems that need to be addressed before the start of a clinical evaluation. Prospective trials are also needed in the second step to prove the clinical benefits of the app.
Wearable sensors are able to monitor physical health in a home environment and detect changes in gait patterns over time. To ensure long-term user engagement, wearable sensors need to be seamlessly integrated into the user’s daily life, such as hearing aids or earbuds. Therefore, we present EarGait, an open-source Python toolbox for gait analysis using inertial sensors integrated into hearing aids. This work contributes a validation for gait event detection algorithms and the estimation of temporal parameters using ear-worn sensors. We perform a comparative analysis of two algorithms based on acceleration data and propose a modified version of one of the algorithms. We conducted a study with healthy young and elderly participants to record walking data using the hearing aid’s integrated sensors and an optical motion capture system as a reference. All algorithms were able to detect gait events (initial and terminal contacts), and the improved algorithm performed best, detecting 99.8% of initial contacts and obtaining a mean stride time error of 12 ± 32 ms. The existing algorithms faced challenges in determining the laterality of gait events. To address this limitation, we propose modifications that enhance the determination of the step laterality (ipsi- or contralateral), resulting in a 50% reduction in stride time error. Moreover, the improved version is shown to be robust to different study populations and sampling frequencies but is sensitive to walking speed. This work establishes a solid foundation for a comprehensive gait analysis system integrated into hearing aids that will facilitate continuous and long-term home monitoring.
BACKGROUND Mobile e-health applications have been used as a complementary treatment to increase the quality of life of patients and provide new opportunities for the management of rheumatic diseases. Telemedicine, particularly in the area of prevention, diagnostics, and therapy, has become an essential cornerstone in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory process that affects mainly young patients and can lead to spinal deformities. Aside from anti-inflammatory drug therapy physical therapy can improve the range of motion and maintain the mobility of AS patients. Guidelines recommend a combination of daily stretching and strengthening exercises to reduce inflammation and prevent stiffness in AS. The advancements of mobile e-health applications can facilitate physical exercises for AS patients. In previous work, we have developed a prototype of a mobile e-health application called YogiTherapy, which offers yoga exercises and standardized assessments for AS patients. OBJECTIVE To improve the design and technology of YogiTherapy, and evaluate its usability and quality. METHODS We newly implemented the mobile e-health application YogiTherapy with a modern design, the option to change language, and easy navigation to improve the app's usability and quality for patients. After refinement, we evaluated the application by conducting a study with 16 AS patients (4 females; 12 males; age: 48.1 ± 16.8 years). In the study, we assessed the usability of YogiTherapy with the task performance test (TPT) with think-aloud protocol and the quality with the German version of the mobile app rating scale (MARS-G). RESULTS In the TPT, the participants had to solve six tasks. The overall task completion rate in the TPT was high (87.5%). Filtering for videos and navigating to perform a test caused the largest issues during the TPT while registering in the app and watching a video was highly intuitive. Additionally, 12 of the 16 participants filled the MARS-G. The quality of YogiTherapy was rated with an average MARS score of 3.79 ± 0.51 from a maximum score of 5. Furthermore, results from the MARS questionnaire demonstrated a positive evaluation regarding functionality and aesthetics. CONCLUSIONS The refined and tested YogiTherapy showed promising results amongst most of the participants. In the future, the application could serve its function as a complementary treatment for AS patients. As a substantial advance, we see the free and open availability of the application. CLINICALTRIAL No Trial Registration is necessary.
BACKGROUND Besides anti-inflammatory medication, physical exercise represents a cornerstone of modern treatment for patients with Axial Spondylarthritis (AS). Digital health applications (DHA) like the Yoga App "YogiTherapy" could empower patients to autonomously and correctly perform exercises remotely. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to develop, design, and test the usability of the smartphone-based app YogiTherapy for patients with Axial Spondylarthritis. METHODS The development of the app and the user experience study took place between October 2020 and March 2021. The DHA was designed by students, rheumatologists, and AS patients. After the initial development process, a pilot version of the app was evaluated prospectively by 5 patients and 5 rheumatologists. Participants had to complete different predefined tasks using the app. Then the competition rate and the experience questionnaire (Attractiveness, Perspicuity, Efficiency, Dependability, Stimulation, and Novelty) were finalized by patients. RESULTS The results of the post-test questionnaires showed that the majority of the patient group was already familiar with digital applications (80 % of the patients). The task completion rate of the usability test was 100 % in tasks i and ii, which included selecting and starting a yoga lesson and navigating to an information page. Rheumatologists felt even more experienced in digital devices (40 % experts, 60 % intermediates). In this case, the task completion rate of the usability test was 100 % (5 /5). In the user experience questionnaire completed by rheumatologists, attractiveness (2.267 SD 0.401) and stimulation (2.250 SD 0.354) achieved the best results compared to dependability (2.00 SD 0.395). Patients reported attractiveness with 2.167 SD 0.565 and stimulation with 1.950 SD 0.873. The lowest mean score was scaled for perspicuity (1.250 SD 1.425). CONCLUSIONS The newly developed and tested DHA YogiTherapy demonstrated high usability among rheumatologists and AS patients, suggesting simple implementation into clinical routine care. The app might potentially be used by patients with AS as a complementary treatment. Prospective trials are needed to prove the benefit of the app.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.