Objective Mobile health (mHealth) systems are becoming more common for chronic disease management, but usability studies are still needed on patients’ perspectives and mHealth interaction performance. This deficiency is addressed by our quantitative usability study of a mHealth diabetes system evaluating patients’ task performance, satisfaction, and the relationship of these measures to user characteristics.Materials and Methods We used metrics in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9241-11 standard. After standardized training, 10 patients performed representative tasks and were assessed on individual task success, errors, efficiency (time on task), satisfaction (System Usability Scale [SUS]) and user characteristics.Results Tasks of exporting and correcting values proved the most difficult, had the most errors, the lowest task success rates, and consumed the longest times on task. The average SUS satisfaction score was 80.5, indicating good but not excellent system usability. Data trends showed males were more successful in task completion, and younger participants had higher performance scores. Educational level did not influence performance, but a more recent diabetes diagnosis did. Patients with more experience in information technology (IT) also had higher performance rates.Discussion Difficult task performance indicated areas for redesign. Our methods can assist others in identifying areas in need of improvement. Data about user background and IT skills also showed how user characteristics influence performance and can provide future considerations for targeted mHealth designs.Conclusion Using the ISO 9241-11 usability standard, the SUS instrument for satisfaction and measuring user characteristics provided objective measures of patients’ experienced usability. These could serve as an exemplar for standardized, quantitative methods for usability studies on mHealth systems.

Objective. Patients with type 2 diabetes often fail to achieve self-management goals. This study tested the impact on glycemic control of a two-way text messaging program that provided behavioral coaching, education, and testing reminders to enrolled individuals with type 2 diabetes in the context of a clinic-based quality improvement initiative. The secondary aim examined patient interaction and satisfaction with the program.Methods. Ninety-three adult patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (A1C >8%) were recruited from 18 primary care clinics in three counties for a 6-month study. Patients were randomized by a computer to one of two arms. Patients in both groups continued with their usual care; patients assigned to the intervention arm also received from one to seven diabetes-related text messages per day depending on the choices they made at enrollment. At 90 and 180 days, A1C data were obtained from the electronic health record and analyzed to determine changes from baseline for both groups. An exit survey was used to assess satisfaction. Enrollment behavior and interaction data were pulled from a Web-based administrative portal maintained by the technology vendor.Results. Patients used the program in a variety of ways. Twenty-nine percent of program users demonstrated frequent engagement (texting responses at least three times per week) for a period of ≥90 days. Survey results indicate very high satisfaction with the program. Both groups’ average A1C decreased from baseline, possibly reflecting a broader quality improvement effort underway in participating clinics. At 90 and 180 days, there was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of change in A1C (P >0.05).Conclusions. This study demonstrated a practical approach to implementing and monitoring a mobile health intervention for self-management support across a wide range of independent clinic practices.

Multiple data collection methods yielded a more comprehensive set of usability issues. Usability testing uncovered the largest volume of usability issues, followed by interviewing and then the questionnaire. The interview did not surface any unique consolidated usability issues while the questionnaire surfaced one. The FA and UPT were valuable in structuring and classifying problems. The resulting descriptions serve as a communication tool in problem solving and programming. We recommend the usage of multiple methods in data collection and employing the FA and UPT in data analyses for future usability testing.

Chronic diseases, including diabetes, constitute a substantial disease burden around the world. Mobile self-management systems now play a significant and increasingly important role in patients' disease management. Yet, patients' perceptions of these systems after longer-term use are largely unexplored. A random sample of 10 diabetes patients was assessed immediately after they exited a larger, 6-month randomized controlled trial on the use of a mHealth system called Care4Life. This descriptive, exploratory study assessed patients' perceptions and experiences of mHealth using a questionnaire and semistructured interview whose development was guided by the Technology Acceptance Model. Results indicated that patients saw clear benefits in using the technology and had favorable behavioral disease outcomes after using Care4Life. Suggestions for improving the system were highly individual despite the apparent homogeneity of the patient group. The study begins to fill the gap about the longer-term use of mHealth systems in chronic disease management and reflects the significance of individual needs for mHealth systems.