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Development and usability evaluation of an application for patients with glaucoma

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Abstract

Introduction

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy that requires continuous monitoring. The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate the usability of a mobile application, for iOS and Android platforms, containing functionalities to improve patients’ knowledge about glaucoma and facilitate their treatment.

Methods

The application was developed by a multidisciplinary team using an adapted version of a co-design methodology. Volunteers were selected, among patients and patients' relatives, from the Instituto Cearense de Oftalmologia, chosen by rational choice sampling, to answer the system usability scale after having prior orientation. The results extracted from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively. After grouping by age, a proportions test (z-test) was performed.

Results

It was possible to develop an application for mobile devices named “GlaucoCheck.” Of the 36 interviewees, the average age was 51 (22–69) years old, 56% were women, and 30.5% had a university degree. The average APP score for usability in the SUS questionnaire was 75.6 (95% CI 74.1–77.2).

Conclusion

There was an appropriate acceptance of patients to the “GlaucoCheck”, as it was considered easy to handle, exhibiting interactive and uncomplicated layout. It was possible to develop an application and to register a positive acceptance by the users, encompassing functions that permits better adherence to treatments and additional knowledge about glaucoma.

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Availability of data and materials

The applied questionnaires are in possession of the authors.

Code availability

BR 51 2018 052,409–5 (Android) and BR 51 2018 052,410–9 (iOS).

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Acknowledgements

We want to express our gratitude to the institutions which helped in the development of this research.

Funding

The application was created and developed by a multidisciplinary team in conjunction with the Technological Innovation Laboratory of the Centro Universitário Christus (Unichristus); there was no funding support in the development of the application and the article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Universitário Christus (Unichristus), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Paula Soares de Mattos Carneiro Valente, Ridson Guilherme Parente de Aguiar, Francisco Emanoel Albuquerque de Souza Júnior, Alex Andrade Maciel, José de Paula Barbosa Neto & João Crispim Ribeiro

  2. Instituto Cearense de Oftalmologia, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Carolina Lyra Barreira Carneiro & João Crispim Ribeiro

  3. Virtual University Institute, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Edgar Marçal

Authors
  1. Paula Soares de Mattos Carneiro Valente
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  2. Carolina Lyra Barreira Carneiro
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  3. Ridson Guilherme Parente de Aguiar
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  4. Francisco Emanoel Albuquerque de Souza Júnior
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  6. Edgar Marçal
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  7. José de Paula Barbosa Neto
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  8. João Crispim Ribeiro
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Contributions

All authors have contributed equally to this article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to João Crispim Ribeiro.

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Conflict of interest

Paula Soares de Mattos Carneiro Valente, Edgar Marçal and João Crispim Ribeiro have a software registration patent for the GlaucoCheck application used in this study. The other authors have no financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Ethical approval

Nº CAAE: 64961516.3.0000.5049, following ethical guidelines of resolution 466/12 of the National Health Commission.

Consent to participate

All volunteers provided an online consent to participate in this study.

Consent for publication

All volunteers provided an online informed consent for the publication.

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Valente, P.S.d.C., Carneiro, C.L.B., de Aguiar, R.G.P. et al. Development and usability evaluation of an application for patients with glaucoma. Int Ophthalmol 41, 3419–3425 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01905-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01905-y

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