Mobile Access to Medical Records in Heart Transplantation Aftercare: Mixed-Methods Study Assessing Usability, Feasibility and Effects of a Mobile Application

Abstract

Background: Patient access to medical records can improve quality of care. The phellow application (app) was developed to provide patients access to selected content of their medical record. It was tested at a heart transplantation (HTx) outpatient clinic. The aims of this study were (1) to assess usability of phellow, (2) to determine feasibility of implementation in routine care, and (3) to study the effects app use had on patients’ self-management. Methods: Usability was measured quantitatively through the System Usability Scale (SUS). Furthermore, usability, feasibility, and effects on self-management were qualitatively assessed through interviews with users, non-users, and health care providers. Results: The SUS rating (n = 31) was 79.9, indicating good usability. Twenty-three interviews were conducted. Although appreciation and willingness-to-use were high, usability problems such as incompleteness of record, technical issues, and complex registration procedures were reported. Improved technical support infrastructure, clearly defined responsibilities, and app-specific trainings were suggested for further implementation. Patients described positive effects on their self-management. Conclusions: To be feasible for implementation in routine care, usability problems should be addressed. Feedback on the effect of app use was encouraging. Accompanying research is crucial to monitor usability improvements and to further assess effects of app use on patients.

Keywords

• electronic health records and systems
• feasibility
• mHealth
• mixed-methods
• mobile application
• patient self-management