Developing and testing an educational app on bowel preparation

Abstract

Background: Colonoscopy is the top investigation tool for colorectal cancer screening. The role of nurses in educating and advising on bowel preparation is essential to prepare patients for colonoscopy. Evidence supports that an interactive patient education smartphone and tablet application (app) leads to better health outcomes. Aims: To develop and evaluate the use of a bowel preparation app in providing knowledge and teaching bowel preparation to improve colonoscopy preparation. Methods: Analyse data from consumer participation and pre-post test methods. Findings: The effectiveness of the app was assessed in four categories: disease-specific content and patient-centred; flexible learning environments and accessibility; elder-friendliness; and usefulness. Overall, 10 people completed the app's feasibility testing and demonstrated a significant improvement in their bowel preparation knowledge (P=0.004) and behaviours (P=0.005). The mean BBPS scores was 7.8 (SD=0.6) and satisfaction with learning using the app was very high (90%). Conclusion: The collaboration with the multidisciplinary team led to the creation of an innovative app with a high level of satisfaction. Thus, interactive app technology in patient education is a feasible alternative method to deliver health information.