Background The experience of infertility and its treatment engenders considerable stress and is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. A mobile health (mHealth) app may be a novel solution to address the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of fertility patients because of its potential to reduce stress and increase patient empowerment. There are a few fertility-related apps that provide information and support to both men and women undergoing fertility treatment; however, none have documented their development and evaluation process. Objective This study aims to describe the development and evaluation process of a bilingual mHealth app, Infotility, designed to meet the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of men and women undergoing fertility treatment. Methods To develop the Infotility app, we adhered to the Medical Research Council guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. First, we conducted literature reviews and needs assessment surveys of fertility patients and health care providers who informed the content and design of the app. Second, we tested the intervention with a small group of end users who provided feedback on the design and appropriateness of the app’s content. Third, we evaluated the uptake and usability of the app using a pre-post study design. Finally, we updated the app’s content based on participants’ feedback and searched for partners to disseminate the app to the broader public. Results This study is the first to describe the development and evaluation process of an mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment. The app met its goal in providing fertility patients with a clinician-approved, portable resource for reliable information about medical and psychosocial aspects of infertility and its treatments and a confidential peer support forum monitored by trained peer supporters. Participants rated the engagement, functionality, information, and esthetics of the app positively, with an overall app quality mean score of 3.75 (SD 0.53) and a star rating of 3.43 (SD 0.75), with a total possible score and star rating of 5.00. Conclusions By documenting the systematic development and evaluation of the mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment, this paper can facilitate the replication of the study intervention and the development of similar mHealth apps.
Male infertility presents a public health concern. As most men wish to become fathers, it is important to increase men’s awareness of infertility risk factors. We developed a mobile health application (mHealth app), Infotility XY, to promote men’s reproductive health. This study evaluates whether use of the app led to increased knowledge of infertility risk factors, and whether knowledge change was associated with participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and/or app usage. Participants were recruited between August and October 2020. Eligibility criteria included: identified as male; 18–45 years old; childless; no infertility history; able to read and write in English/French; had internet access. We assessed participants’ fertility knowledge before and after app use. App usage data were captured during the 2-week intervention period. Our sample included 49 men aged 18–45. Seventy-eight percent of participants had not previously sought fertility information. Participants viewed on average 75% of the app’s articles, and 96% of participants said the app increased their fertility knowledge. Before app use, 55% of men said they were aware of infertility risk factors, compared to 96% after app use. Men correctly identified more risk factors after app use compared to before, t(48) = 8.28, p < .001. Participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and amount of app usage were not associated with knowledge change. This study provides evidence of the feasibility of an mHealth app to improve men’s awareness of infertility risk factors. Given the positive relationship between male reproductive health and overall health, increased awareness of infertility risk factors may lead to men’s improved overall health.
Background: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in many countries around the world have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to serious consequences for the elderly living in these facilities. Though many LTCFs experienced high case and death rates due to COVID-19, other facilities performed better, and experienced lower rates. A comprehensive understanding of performance factors affecting the transmission of COVID-19 within LTCFs is still lacking, as no published review has provided a complete perspective of LTCF management utilizing a multifactorial conceptual framework to evaluate performance during the pandemic. Recent research has consisted of strategies for infection prevention and control or studies reporting specific outcomes such as COVID-19 case and death rates within LTCFs. To address these gaps, this scoping review will identify and investigate performance factors that have affected the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in LTCFs using a multifactorial conceptual framework of performance. Methods: The CINAHL, MEDLINE (Ovid), CAIRN, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases will be searched. Included articles will have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, in English or French, between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2021. They will discuss the review’s population (LTCFs), concept (dimensions of performance according to a modified version of the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux du Québec conceptual framework), and context (COVID-19), as well as facilitators and barriers affecting performance of LTCFs. Each article will be screened by a minimum of two authors in an independent manner, after which the data from selected articles will be extracted by one author and then reviewed by the principal investigator. Results: The results will be presented both narratively and with visual aids (i.e., flowcharts, tables, conceptual maps). Discussion: A comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting performance within LTCFs could lead to improved infection prevention and control measures for the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic and assist in the proper management of future pandemics or infection outbreaks. Information on this topic could therefore lead to an improvement in the care and security of LTCF residents and personnel.Registration: Research Registry ID: researchregistry7026
BACKGROUND The experience of infertility and its treatment engenders considerable stress and is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. A mobile health (mHealth) app may be a novel solution to address the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of fertility patients because of its potential to reduce stress and increase patient empowerment. There are a few fertility-related apps that provide information and support to both men and women undergoing fertility treatment; however, none have documented their development and evaluation process. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the development and evaluation process of a bilingual mHealth app, <i>Infotility</i>, designed to meet the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of men and women undergoing fertility treatment. METHODS To develop the <i>Infotility</i> app, we adhered to the Medical Research Council guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. First, we conducted literature reviews and needs assessment surveys of fertility patients and health care providers who informed the content and design of the app. Second, we tested the intervention with a small group of end users who provided feedback on the design and appropriateness of the app’s content. Third, we evaluated the uptake and usability of the app using a pre-post study design. Finally, we updated the app’s content based on participants’ feedback and searched for partners to disseminate the app to the broader public. RESULTS This study is the first to describe the development and evaluation process of an mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment. The app met its goal in providing fertility patients with a clinician-approved, portable resource for reliable information about medical and psychosocial aspects of infertility and its treatments and a confidential peer support forum monitored by trained peer supporters. Participants rated the engagement, functionality, information, and esthetics of the app positively, with an overall app quality mean score of 3.75 (SD 0.53) and a star rating of 3.43 (SD 0.75), with a total possible score and star rating of 5.00. CONCLUSIONS By documenting the systematic development and evaluation of the mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment, this paper can facilitate the replication of the study intervention and the development of similar mHealth apps.
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