Design of a Patient Voice App Experience for Heart Failure Management: Usability Study.

The use of digital therapeutics (DTx) in the prevention and management of medical conditions has increased through the years, with an estimated 44 million people using one as part of their treatment plan in 2021, nearly double the number from the previous year. DTx are commonly accessed through smartphone apps, but offering these treatments through additional platforms can improve the accessibility of these interventions. Voice apps are an emerging technology in the digital health field; not only do they have the potential to improve DTx adherence, but they can also create a better user experience for some user groups. This research aimed to identify the acceptability and feasibility of offering a voice app for a chronic disease self-management program. The objective of this project was to design, develop, and evaluate a voice app of an already-existing smartphone-based heart failure self-management program, Medly, to be used as a case study. A voice app version of Medly was designed and developed through a user-centered design process. We conducted a usability study and semistructured interviews with patients with heart failure (N=8) at the Peter Munk Cardiac Clinic in Toronto General Hospital to better understand the user experience. A Medly voice app prototype was built using a software development kit in tandem with a cloud computing platform and was verified and validated before the usability study. Data collection and analysis were guided by a mixed methods triangulation convergence design. Common themes were identified in the results of the usability study, which involved 8 participants with heart failure. Almost all participants (7/8, 88%) were satisfied with the voice app and felt confident using it, although half of the participants (4/8, 50%) were unsure about using it in the future. Six main themes were identified: changes in physical behavior, preference between voice app and smartphone, importance of music during voice app interaction, lack of privacy concerns, desired reassurances during voice app interaction, and helpful aids during voice app interaction. These findings were triangulated with the quantitative data, and it concluded that the main area for improvement was related to the ease of use; design changes were then implemented to better improve the user experience. This work offered preliminary insight into the acceptability and feasibility of a Medly voice app. Given the recent emergence of voice apps in health care, we believe that this research offered invaluable insight into successfully deploying DTx for chronic disease self-management using this technology.

多年来，数字疗法（DTx）在疾病预防与管理中的应用不断增加，据估计，2021年有4400万人将其作为治疗方案的一部分，这一数字几乎是前一年的两倍。数字疗法通常通过智能手机应用程序获取，但通过更多平台提供这些疗法，能够提高干预措施的可及性。语音应用程序是数字健康领域的一项新兴技术；它们不仅有潜力提高患者对数字疗法的依从性，还能为部分用户群体带来更好的使用体验。 本研究旨在确定为慢性病自我管理项目提供语音应用程序的可接受性和可行性。该项目的目标是设计、开发并评估一款基于现有智能手机的心力衰竭自我管理程序Medly的语音应用程序，并将其作为案例研究。 Medly语音应用程序版本是通过以用户为中心的设计流程设计和开发的。我们在多伦多总医院的彼得·芒克心脏诊所对心力衰竭患者（N = 8）进行了可用性研究和半结构化访谈，以更好地了解用户体验。Medly语音应用程序原型是利用软件开发工具包结合云计算平台构建的，在可用性研究之前进行了验证和确认。数据收集与分析采用混合方法三角收敛设计。 在涉及8名心力衰竭患者的可用性研究结果中，确定了一些共同主题。几乎所有参与者（7/8，88%）对语音应用程序感到满意，并对使用它充满信心，尽管有一半的参与者（4/8，50%）不确定未来是否会使用。确定了六个主要主题：身体行为的变化、语音应用程序与智能手机之间的偏好、语音应用程序交互过程中音乐的重要性、对隐私问题的担忧缺失、语音应用程序交互过程中期望得到的安抚，以及语音应用程序交互过程中的有用辅助。这些发现与定量数据进行了三角验证，得出的结论是，主要的改进领域与易用性相关；随后实施了设计变更，以更好地提升用户体验。 这项工作为Medly语音应用程序的可接受性和可行性提供了初步见解。鉴于语音应用程序在医疗保健领域的最新兴起，我们认为这项研究为成功利用该技术部署用于慢性病自我管理的数字疗法提供了宝贵的见解。