Abstract: The attendees will be able to understand patient-centered design thinking practices including usability testing to inform the development of patient-facing mHealth apps from the planning phases through to inception in order to increase adoption and adherence.

Describe the new knowledge and additional skills the participant will gain after attending your presentation.: The proliferation of mHealth apps on the market has caused significant problems with adoption and adherence to these apps. The primary reason for this abandonment is the value to burden ratio whereby the frequency of use tends to decrease the value and increase the burden of the interaction. Based on input from physicians and nurses regarding unmet needs after treatment of Head and Neck cancer as well as patient journey mapping to understand the “lived experience” of the patient, we designed an app to collect symptom-related data post-treatment and to educate patients about managing their symptoms and condition based on their needs. We conducted “think aloud” and quantitative usability testing sessions to determine areas in which the app could be improved, and made revisions and iterative design modifications to the app as a result. We then fielded a pilot study over 50 weeks with patients living with Head and Neck Cancer (N=33) to track adoption and adherence rates with the app. Initial results from the pilot study indicate significant adoption and adherence to the app. Putting the patient first in our design-thinking approach to the development of the app allowed us to ensure we were meeting our patient user needs, which in turn drove patient adherence and adoption.

Authors:

D'Arcy King, Northwell Health
Sewit Teckie, Northwell Health
Jeffrey Solomon (Presenter)
Northwell Health

Michael Diefenbach, Northwell Health