Abstract
BackgroundIn the field of occupational therapy, the assistive equipment provision process (AEPP) is a prominent preventive strategy used to promote independent living and to identify and alleviate fall risk factors via the provision of assistive equipment within the home environment. Current practice involves the use of paper-based forms that include 2D measurement guidance diagrams that aim to communicate the precise points and dimensions that must be measured in order to make AEPP assessments. There are, however, issues such as “poor fit” of equipment due to inaccurate measurements taken and recorded, resulting in more than 50% of equipment installed within the home being abandoned by patients. This paper presents a novel 3D measurement aid prototype (3D-MAP) that provides enhanced measurement and assessment guidance to patients via the use of 3D visualization technologies.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of older adults with regard to the barriers and opportunities of using the 3D-MAP application as a tool that enables patient self-delivery of the AEPP.MethodsThirty-three community-dwelling older adults participated in interactive sessions with a bespoke 3D-MAP application utilizing the retrospective think-aloud protocol and semistructured focus group discussions. The system usability scale (SUS) questionnaire was used to evaluate the application’s usability. Thematic template analysis was carried out on the SUS item discussions, think-aloud, and semistructured focus group data.ResultsThe quantitative SUS results revealed that the application may be described as having “marginal-high” and “good” levels of usability, along with strong agreement with items relating to the usability (P=.004) and learnability (P<.001) of the application. Four high-level themes emerged from think-aloud and focus groups discussions: (1) perceived usefulness (PU), (2) perceived ease of use (PEOU), (3) application use (AU) and (4) self-assessment (SA). The application was seen as a useful tool to enhance visualization of measurement guidance and also to promote independent living, ownership of care, and potentially reduce waiting times. Several design and functionality recommendations emerged from the study, such as a need to manipulate the view and position of the 3D furniture models, and a need for clearer visual prompts and alternative keyboard interface for measurement entry.ConclusionsParticipants perceived the 3D-MAP application as a useful tool that has the potential to make significant improvements to the AEPP, not only in terms of accuracy of measurement, but also by potentially enabling older adult patients to carry out the data collection element of the AEPP themselves. Further research is needed to further adapt the 3D-MAP application in line with the study outcomes and to establish its clinical utility with regards to effectiveness, efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of measurements that are recorded using the application and to compare it with 2D measurement guidance leaflets.
Highlights
IntroductionFall Prevention Technologies and Patient InvolvementDue to an ageing world population, the number of fall-related injuries has risen in recent years, posing a significant global health challenge [1]
Fall Prevention Technologies and Patient InvolvementDue to an ageing world population, the number of fall-related injuries has risen in recent years, posing a significant global health challenge [1]
The application was seen as a useful tool to enhance visualization of measurement guidance and to promote independent living, ownership of care, and potentially reduce waiting times
Summary
Fall Prevention Technologies and Patient InvolvementDue to an ageing world population, the number of fall-related injuries has risen in recent years, posing a significant global health challenge [1]. Government and health authorities see new and innovative applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the falls prevention domain as having the potential to reduce health care costs while addressing the increased burden that an ageing population places on health and social care services [5]. There appears to be a shift away from the traditional paternalistic models of health care where the patient is a passive recipient toward more patient-centered models where the patient is given more responsibility for providing their own care such as carrying out self-assessments and management of their own conditions [8] Part of this change is related to the emergence of the notion of the “expert patient,” one who is expected to be able to access relevant information, utilize self-testing and manage medical devices and applications effectively, and make independent decisions about their own care [9,10]. This paper presents a novel 3D measurement aid prototype (3D-MAP) that provides enhanced measurement and assessment guidance to patients via the use of 3D visualization technologies
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