Pain Monitoring App : How User Centered Design Contributes to the Usefulness of Digital Healthcare Tools

Sammanfattning

Digital tools within healthcare are increasingly used to facilitate healthcare professionals’ work, for example by remote patient monitoring. However, digitalisation without proper integration may instead increase workload. This thesis investigates how a useful and intuitive application can be developed through an iterative design process in collaboration with healthcare professionals. The study was conducted through the development of the Pain Monitoring App in cooperation with the Uppsala University Hospital. The application is intended to support the monitoring of fracture patients through digital pain reporting during an eight week period. In addition to the iterative design method, a user survey and a scenario based usability test were conducted. The evaluation focused on the following usability attributes: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, satisfaction, effectiveness and cognitive load. The results indicate that a clear interface, limited cognitive load, intuitive navigation and straightforward reporting flows ensure usability for patients across different age groups. The scenario based testing suggests that participants are generally able to navigate and complete core tasks with limited difficulty. Collaborating with healthcare professionals helped ensure that the application is adapted to reflect real clinical workflow, increasing usefulness. The study demonstrates how iterative development and user centered design can support the creation of digital healthcare tools that are both usable for patients and relevant within clinical practice.