Usability of Mobile Technology to Screen for Drug-Drug Interactions in Kidney Transplant Patients

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Kidney transplant recipients are at increased risk for adverse safety events related to reduced renal function and polypharmacy. Health information technology tools have a precautionary role in improving safety in patients with kidney transplants who are at risk of drug-drug interactions. Materials and Methods: Usability testing of a drug-drug interaction inquiry system on a convenience sample of kidney transplant patients and their family members was conducted between January and April 2013 by a single interviewer. Each participant was provided with 35 tasks to complete on a cell phone with a manual keypad. The tasks were classified according to how it was completed: easily completed, noncritical error, or critical error (where a participant was unable to complete the given task without intervention by the interviewer). The final task was timed using a stop watch. Results: Out of a total of 16 volunteers, 15 completed the testing. The median time to complete the final task was 4 min (range: 2-9). In a cumulative total of 525 tasks, 33 critical errors were noted. Twelve participants had one or more critical errors. The most frequent critical errors were related to typing and spelling mistakes. Twelve out 15 participants were able to complete the final task without any critical errors. Conclusions: Understanding transplant patients' preference in technology use and adapting applications to a variety of technological portals will ensure the most effective use of targeted interventions in patient safety, particularly when applied to preventing drug-drug interactions.

Patients’ and Nephrologists’ Evaluation of Patient-Facing Smartphone Apps for CKD

“…This is not entirely surprising, because the first question on the system usability scale ("I think that I would like to use this system frequently") has some similarities to the net promoter score question used to assess quality ("How likely is it that you would recommend this app to another patient?"). Given that usability is commonly measured and reported in the literature (25)(26)(27), it has the potential to serve as a surrogate marker for app quality as long as it is assessed by patients.…”

Comparison of oral bioavailability of acetaminophen tablets, capsules and effervescent dosage forms in healthy volunteers

“…When the goal is to relieve pain in a faster and more efficient way, it is better to use soluble or quickly-absorbed formulations because delayed absorption or low concentrations of the drug may result in treatment failure. Another issue that has always been of great importance for pharmacists is to prevent drug alterations that occur in the GI system [11]. Such changes may occur due to the low pH of the stomach and food/drug interactions, causing the drug to be inactivated.…”

“…The pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters such as absorption rate constant (Ka), clearance, half-life and volume of distribution of acetaminophen in three groups were calculated based on one-compartment kinetics using P-Pharm software (10,11). According to data distribution (Table 1), the results were analyzed using analysis of variance.…”