scholarly journals Description and preliminary experience with Virtual Visit Assessment (ViVA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, a structured virtual management protocol for patients with multiple sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Bergamaschi ◽  
Livio Tronconi ◽  
Daniele Bosone ◽  
Antonella Mastretti ◽  
Laura Jommi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Adequate Information ◽  
Management Protocol ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Virtual Management ◽  
Virtual Visits

AbstractIn people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), strict follow-up is essential. Telemedicine has the potential to overcome many of the difficulties in routine management. Herein, we present a structured protocol that can be used to remotely manage patients with MS, describing in detail the steps to be taken and exams needed at each stage. A working group was established which developed a tailored protocol that can be adapted to a variety of settings. The overall protocol consisted of 5 phases: enrolment, document sharing phase, pre-evaluation, virtual visit, and post-visit phase, which was divided into 14 individual steps. As of October 2020, 25 virtual visits have been carried out, all via Skype. The patient’s caregiver was present during visits and had an active role. The average duration of the virtual visit was 24 min, and that of the pre-visit and post-visit were around 15 min each. Overall satisfaction as rated by physicians was considered high (8.0 ± 0.5). Using the system usability scale (SUS), patients also favorably rated the virtual visit (96.6 ± 6.1). In 20% of cases, the virtual visit was not sufficient to provide adequate information and an in-person clinical visit was recommended. The described protocol has the potential to provide benefits for the healthcare system as well as patients and their caregivers both during and beyond COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Design, development and deployment of a hand/wrist exoskeleton for home-based rehabilitation after stroke - SCRIPT project

Robotica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1331-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Amirabdollahian ◽  
S. Ates ◽  
A. Basteris ◽  
A. Cesario ◽  
J. Buurke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professional ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Interactive Games ◽  
Home Based ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability

SUMMARYChanges in world-wide population trends have provided new demands for new technologies in areas such as care and rehabilitation. Recent developments in the the field of robotics for neurorehabilitation have shown a range of evidence regarding usefulness of these technologies as a tool to augment traditional physiotherapy. Part of the appeal for these technologies is the possibility to place a rehabilitative tool in one's home, providing a chance for more frequent and accessible technologies for empowering individuals to be in charge of their therapy.Objective:this manuscript introduces the Supervised Care and Rehabilitation Involving Personal Tele-robotics (SCRIPT) project. The main goal is to demonstrate design and development steps involved in a complex intervention, while examining feasibility of using an instrumented orthotic device for home-based rehabilitation after stroke.Methods:the project uses a user-centred design methodology to develop a hand/wrist rehabilitation device for home-based therapy after stroke. The patient benefits from a dedicated user interface that allows them to receive feedback on exercise as well as communicating with the health-care professional. The health-care professional is able to use a dedicated interface to send/receive communications and remote-manage patient's exercise routine using provided performance benchmarks. Patients were involved in a feasibility study (n=23) and were instructed to use the device and its interactive games for 180 min per week, around 30 min per day, for a period of 6 weeks, with a 2-months follow up. At the time of this study, only 12 of these patients have finished their 6 weeks trial plus 2 months follow up evaluation.Results:with the “use feasibility” as objective, our results indicate 2 patients dropping out due to technical difficulty or lack of personal interests to continue. Our frequency of use results indicate that on average, patients used the SCRIPT1 device around 14 min of self-administered therapy a day. The group average for the system usability scale was around 69% supporting system usability.Conclusions:based on the preliminary results, it is evident that stroke patients were able to use the system in their homes. An average of 14 min a day engagement mediated via three interactive games is promising, given the chronic stage of stroke. During the 2nd year of the project, 6 additional games with more functional relevance in their interaction have been designed to allow for a more variant context for interaction with the system, thus hoping to positively influence the exercise duration. The system usability was tested and provided supporting evidence for this parameter. Additional improvements to the system are planned based on formative feedback throughout the project and during the evaluations. These include a new orthosis that allows a more active control of the amount of assistance and resistance provided, thus aiming to provide a more challenging interaction.

scholarly journals Usability of a Fall Risk mHealth App for People With Multiple Sclerosis: Mixed Methods Study

10.2196/25604 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e25604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Hsieh ◽  
Jason Fanning ◽  
Mikaela Frechette ◽  
Jacob Sosnoff
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Mhealth Apps ◽  
User Centered

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that causes a range of motor, sensory, and cognitive symptoms. Due to these symptoms, people with MS are at a high risk for falls, fall-related injuries, and reductions in quality of life. There is no cure for MS, and managing symptoms and disease progression is important to maintain a high quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) apps are commonly used by people with MS to help manage their health. However, there are limited health apps for people with MS designed to evaluate fall risk. A fall risk app can increase access to fall risk assessments and improve self-management. When designing mHealth apps, a user-centered approach is critical for improving use and adoption. Objective The purpose of this study is to undergo a user-centered approach to test and refine the usability of the app through an iterative design process. Methods The fall risk app Steady-MS is an extension of Steady, a fall risk app for older adults. Steady-MS consists of 2 components: a 25-item questionnaire about demographics and MS symptoms and 5 standing balance tasks. Data from the questionnaire and balance tasks were inputted into an algorithm to compute a fall risk score. Two iterations of semistructured interviews (n=5 participants per iteration) were performed to evaluate usability. People with MS used Steady-MS on a smartphone, thinking out loud. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and developed into codes and themes. People with MS also completed the System Usability Scale. Results A total of 3 themes were identified: intuitive navigation, efficiency of use, and perceived value. Overall, the participants found Steady-MS efficient to use and useful to learn their fall risk score. There were challenges related to cognitive overload during the balance tasks. Modifications were made, and after the second iteration, people with MS reported that the app was intuitive and efficient. Average System Usability Scale scores were 95.5 in both iterations, representing excellent usability. Conclusions Steady-MS is the first mHealth app for people with MS to assess their overall risk of falling and is usable by a subset of people with MS. People with MS found Steady-MS to be usable and useful for understanding their risk of falling. When developing future mHealth apps for people with MS, it is important to prevent cognitive overload through simple and clear instructions and present scores that are understood and interpreted correctly through visuals and text. These findings underscore the importance of user-centered design and provide a foundation for the future development of tools to assess and prevent scalable falls for people with MS. Future steps include understanding the validity of the fall risk algorithm and evaluating the clinical utility of the app.

scholarly journals Feasibility of a Home-Based Tablet App for Dexterity Training in Multiple Sclerosis: Usability Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Jantine Willemijn van Beek ◽  
Erwin Everardus Henri van Wegen ◽  
Marc Berend Rietberg ◽  
Thomas Nyffeler ◽  
Stephan Bohlhalter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Adherence Rate ◽  
Home Based ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability

BACKGROUND Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience dexterous difficulties during the performance of activities of daily living, such as fastening buttons, handling coins, or writing, therefore impacting their health-related quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions, such as tablet apps, may be used to train impaired dexterous skills. The feasibility of a tablet app–based dexterity home-based intervention in MS (TAD-MS) has not been explored yet in persons with MS. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and usability of home-based dexterity training with a tablet app in both persons with MS and healthy subjects. METHODS A total of 9 persons with MS, aged 35-71 years, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score between 2 and 7.5, performed the TAD-MS for 4 weeks, five times a week, with each training session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Participants’ impaired dexterity was measured by the Nine-Hole Peg Test. A total of 10 age-matched healthy subjects also tested and rated the usability of the app. Outcome measures were the adherence rate as well as usability measured by the System Usability Scale and a Custom User Engagement Questionnaire (CUEQ). RESULTS High feasibility of the tablet app–based dexterity training program was shown by a 97% adherence rate to the training protocol (ie, mean 19.4/20 sessions completed, SD 0.8). High system usability scores (ie, mean 85.39%, SD 11.67) and overall high scores given in the CUEQ (ie, mean 8.2/10, SD 1.4) further point to high usability of the app. Neither demographic variables nor dexterity levels affected the use of the app. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study is the first to demonstrate high feasibility and usability of a new tablet app–based dexterity home-based training program among both persons with MS and healthy individuals. Whether this kind of training improves dexterity will need to be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.

scholarly journals Feasibility of a Home-Based Tablet App for Dexterity Training in Multiple Sclerosis: Usability Study

10.2196/18204 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. e18204
Author(s):  
Judith Jantine Willemijn van Beek ◽  
Erwin Everardus Henri van Wegen ◽  
Marc Berend Rietberg ◽  
Thomas Nyffeler ◽  
Stephan Bohlhalter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Adherence Rate ◽  
Home Based ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability

Background Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience dexterous difficulties during the performance of activities of daily living, such as fastening buttons, handling coins, or writing, therefore impacting their health-related quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions, such as tablet apps, may be used to train impaired dexterous skills. The feasibility of a tablet app–based dexterity home-based intervention in MS (TAD-MS) has not been explored yet in persons with MS. Objective The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and usability of home-based dexterity training with a tablet app in both persons with MS and healthy subjects. Methods A total of 9 persons with MS, aged 35-71 years, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score between 2 and 7.5, performed the TAD-MS for 4 weeks, five times a week, with each training session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Participants’ impaired dexterity was measured by the Nine-Hole Peg Test. A total of 10 age-matched healthy subjects also tested and rated the usability of the app. Outcome measures were the adherence rate as well as usability measured by the System Usability Scale and a Custom User Engagement Questionnaire (CUEQ). Results High feasibility of the tablet app–based dexterity training program was shown by a 97% adherence rate to the training protocol (ie, mean 19.4/20 sessions completed, SD 0.8). High system usability scores (ie, mean 85.39%, SD 11.67) and overall high scores given in the CUEQ (ie, mean 8.2/10, SD 1.4) further point to high usability of the app. Neither demographic variables nor dexterity levels affected the use of the app. Conclusions This pilot study is the first to demonstrate high feasibility and usability of a new tablet app–based dexterity home-based training program among both persons with MS and healthy individuals. Whether this kind of training improves dexterity will need to be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.

scholarly journals Open-source data management system for Parkinson’s disease follow-up

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e396
Author(s):  
João Paulo Folador ◽  
Marcus Fraga Vieira ◽  
Adriano Alves Pereira ◽  
Adriano de Oliveira Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Data Management System ◽  
World Population ◽  
Biomedical Data ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition of the central nervous system that causes motor and non-motor dysfunctions. The disease affects 1% of the world population over 60 years and remains cureless. Knowledge and monitoring of PD are essential to provide better living conditions for patients. Thus, diagnostic exams and monitoring of the disease can generate a large amount of data from a given patient. This study proposes the development and usability evaluation of an integrated system, which can be used in clinical and research settings to manage biomedical data collected from PD patients. Methods A system, so-called Sistema Integrado de Dados Biomédicos (SIDABI) (Integrated Biomedical Data System), was designed following the model-view-controller (MVC) standard. A modularized architecture was created in which all the other modules are connected to a central security module. Thirty-six examiners evaluated the system usability through the System Usability Scale (SUS). The agreement between examiners was measured by Kendall’s coefficient with a significance level of 1%. Results The free and open-source web-based system was implemented using modularized and responsive methods to adapt the system features on multiple platforms. The mean SUS score was 82.99 ± 13.97 points. The overall agreement was 70.2%, as measured by Kendall’s coefficient (p < 0.001). Conclusion According to the SUS scores, the developed system has good usability. The system proposed here can help researchers to organize and share information, avoiding data loss and fragmentation. Furthermore, it can help in the follow-up of PD patients, in the training of professionals involved in the treatment of the disorder, and in studies that aim to find hidden correlations in data.

Pengujian Usability Website Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah Menggunakan System Usability Scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-43
Author(s):  
Fitri Purwaningtias ◽  
Usman Ependi
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
A Value ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Grade Scale ◽  
Final Score ◽  
Group B

Website saat ini telah digunakan diberbagai jenis instansi termasuk instansi pendidikan seperti Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah. Saat ini website Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah menjadi tulang punggung dalam penyebaran informasi terkain pondok pesantren kepada wali santri, alumni, calon santri dan masyarakat luas. Mengingat pentingnya website bagi Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah maka perlu untuk dilakukan evaluasi apakah informasi yang diberikan dan website yang ada telah memiliki nilai kebergunaan bagi pengguna atau tidak. Untuk itu di dalam penelitian ini dilakukan evaluasi untuk melihat perspektif pengguna terhadap website. Prose evaluasi dilakukan dengan system usability scale dengan sepuluh instrumen sebagai pernyataan evaluasi. Hasil evaluasi menunjukkan bahwa website Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah mendapatkan nilai akhir 88. Nilai 88 berarti website Pondok Pesantren Qodratullah mendapatkan adjective rating yang excellence, grade scale tergolong kelompok B dan tingkat acceptability termasuk acceptable. The website is currently used in various types of institutions including educational institutions such as Qodratullah Islamic Boarding School. Currently the Qodratullah Islamic Boarding School website is the backbone in the dissemination of information about Islamic boarding schools to the guardians of students, alumni, prospective students and the wider community. Considering the importance of the website for the Qodratullah Islamic Boarding School, it is necessary to evaluate whether the information provided, and the existing website have a useful value for the user or not. For this reason, in this study an evaluation was conducted to see the user's perspective on the website. The evaluation process is carried out with a system usability scale with ten instruments as evaluation statements. Evaluation results show that the Qodratullah Islamic Boarding School website gets a final score of 88. A value of 88 means that the Qodratullah Islamic Boarding School website gets an adjective rating that excellence, grade scale belongs to group B and the level of acceptability is acceptable

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