Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2021. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background: The experience of infertility and its treatment engenders considerable stress and is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. A mobile health (mHealth) app may be a novel solution to address the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of fertility patients because of its potential to reduce stress and increase patient empowerment. There are a few fertility-related apps that provide information and support to both men and women undergoing fertility treatment; however, none have documented their development and evaluation process.

Objective: This study aims to describe the development and evaluation process of a bilingual mHealth app, Infotility, designed to meet the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of men and women undergoing fertility treatment.

Methods: To develop the Infotility app, we adhered to the Medical Research Council guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. First, we conducted literature reviews and needs assessment surveys of fertility patients and health care providers who informed the content and design of the app. Second, we tested the intervention with a small group of end users who provided feedback on the design and appropriateness of the app’s content. Third, we evaluated the uptake and usability of the app using a pre-post study design. Finally, we updated the app’s content based on participants’ feedback and searched for partners to disseminate the app to the broader public.

Results: This study is the first to describe the development and evaluation process of an mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment. The app met its goal in providing fertility patients with a clinician-approved, portable resource for reliable information about medical and psychosocial aspects of infertility and its treatments and a confidential peer support forum monitored by trained peer supporters. Participants rated the engagement, functionality, information, and esthetics of the app positively, with an overall app quality mean score of 3.75 (SD 0.53) and a star rating of 3.43 (SD 0.75), with a total possible score and star rating of 5.00.

Conclusions: By documenting the systematic development and evaluation of the mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment, this paper can facilitate the replication of the study intervention and the development of similar mHealth apps.

Details

Title
An mHealth App to Support Fertility Patients Navigating the World of Infertility (Infotility): Development and Usability Study
Author
Kruglova, Katya  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Siobhan Bernadette Laura O'Connell  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dawadi, Shrinkhala  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Eden Noah Gelgoot  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Miner, Skye A  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Robins, Stephanie  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Schinazi, Joy  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zelkowitz, Phyllis  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
e28136
Section
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions
Publication year
2021
Publication date
Oct 2021
Publisher
JMIR Publications
e-ISSN
2561326X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2590084626
Copyright
© 2021. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.