Coproduction and Usability of a Smartphone App for Falls Reporting in Parkinson Disease

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to coproduce a smart-phone application for digital falls reporting in people with Parkinson disease (PD) and to determine usability using an explanatory mixed-methods approach. Methods This study was undertaken in 3 phases. Phase 1 was the development phase, in which people with PD were recruited as co-researchers to the project. The researchers, alongside a project advisory group, coproduced the app over 6 months. Phase 2 was the implementation phase, in which 15 people with PD were invited to test the usability of the app. Phase 3 was the evaluation phase, in which usability was assessed using the systems usability scale by 2 focus groups with 10 people with PD from phase 2. Results A prototype was successfully developed by researchers and the project advisory group. The usability of the app was determined as good (75.8%) by people with PD when rating using the systems usability scale. Two focus groups (n = 5 per group) identified themes of 1) usability, 2) enhancing and understanding management of falls, and 3) recommendations and future developments. Conclusions A successful prototype of the iFall app was developed and deemed easy to use by people with PD. The iFall app has potential use as a self-management tool for people with PD alongside integration into clinical care and research studies. Impact This is the first digital outcome tool to offer reporting of falls and near-miss fall events. The app may benefit people with PD by supporting self-management, aiding clinical decisions in practice, and providing an accurate and reliable outcome measure for future research. Lay summary A smartphone application designed in collaboration with people who have PD to record their falls was acceptable and easy to use by people with PD.

Shining a light on the road towards conducting principle-based co-production research in rehabilitation

“…While our discussion has mainly focused on co-production research practice, there is growing consensus that co-produced research is a critical mechanism to improve research translation and benefit clinical practice ( 4 , 48 , 49 ). To date, participatory research within rehabilitation settings has reported successful achievement of focused clinical-level outcomes, such as having lived experience involvement in clinical service and technology development ( 50 , 51 ). The challenge now for the rehabilitation research community is to engage in genuine epistemic, or knowledge, justice—founded on (but not limited to) the principles of power sharing, relationship building and adaptability ( 2 , 4 , 52 ).…”