[What support does a mobile, assistive app provide for informal caregivers? A qualitative analysis of the MoCaB app user experience]. / Unterstützung pflegender Angehöriger durch eine mobile, assistive App. Eine qualitative Analyse der Perspektive von Nutzerinnen und Nutzern der App MoCaB.

BACKGROUND: In the joint project "Mobile Care Backup" funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the smartphone-based app "MoCaB" was developed in close cooperation with informal caregivers. It provides individualized, algorithm-based information and can accompany and support caring relatives in everyday life. After a multi-step development, informal caregivers tested the MoCaB app in a home setting at the end of the research project. The goal was to find out how the test persons evaluate MoCaB and in which form the app can provide support to informal caregivers. METHODS: Eighteen test persons caring for relatives participated in a four-week test of MoCaB. Guideline-based qualitative interviews to record usage behavior and experiences with the app were conducted after two and four weeks of testing, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The test persons described the care-related information as helpful. The individualized, algorithm-based mode of information delivery and the exercises provided for family caregivers were generally rated as helpful, but their use depends on the individual usage style. Three dimensions can describe the effects of MoCaB: 1) expansion of care-relevant knowledge, 2) stimulation of self-reflection, and 3) behavior towards the care recipients. DISCUSSION: With few exceptions, the testing caregivers felt that the MoCaB app was enriching. The support dimensions have an effect at different points in everyday life and vary in intensity, depending on the duration of the existing care activity and the individual preferences of the users. CONCLUSION: The way in which caregivers used the app was not always consistent with the expected behaviors. This demonstrates the relevance of open-ended, qualitative research methods in the evaluation of health apps.

How to Decide upon Nursing Technologies - A Participation-Based Approach.

This study describes an approach to support decisions on the acquisition of innovative nursing technologies. The approach focusses a participatory design that involves nursing staff from the beginning of the process and aims at achieving positive results regarding identification with the decision of implementation and use of technologies by nursing staff.

[Providing knowledge and support for caring relatives with the smartphone - the MoCaB project]. / Über das Smartphone Wissen und Unterstützung für pflegende Angehörige bereitstellen.

Providing knowledge and support for caring relatives with the smartphone - the MoCaB project Abstract. Background: Caring relatives often have a lack of knowledge of illness and care options. Surveys, as part of the MoCaB (Mobile Care Backup) project, showed that this is often experienced as a burden. Aim: The aim is to support caring relatives by increasing their knowledge. Therefore care-relevant knowledge and instructions for self-care should be provided according to their needs. Methods: The core element of the mobile application, personalized knowledge transfer in dialogue form, will be developed in a participative process with potential users. The relevant evidence-based nursing knowledge was reviewed by experts and written down for the target group. Results: So far, 86 relevant topics have been identified and formulated. First usability tests showed that the content itself, the used expressions and the presentation via the MoCaB app are well received. Outlook: In a next step, the app will be tested in the home setting with caring relatives and, in order to identify any further need and areas for improvement.

Knowledge Transfer in Health Care Through Digitally Collecting Learning Experiences - Results of Witra Care.

INTRODUCTION: The goal of the project Witra Care was to investigate how far the use of mobile technology is suitable to collect experience-based knowledge of nurses. METHODS: Nine new employees and seven experienced nurses received for six weeks a mobile phone or a tablet pc with a mobile application that allowed them to collect learning object as pictures, videos, audio files or notes. RESULTS: In Witra Care the nurses created 303 learning objects. They have found the collecting of learning experiences was helpful for their learning processes. The learning objects demonstrate various aspects of daily routines in nursing. DISCUSSION: The results of Witra Care show that the documentation of learning experiences with mobile devices helps to gather information about the practical knowledge in the daily work of nurses, identifies individual learning needs of the employees and supports them in their personal learning processes.

Smart Glasses in Nursing Training - Redundant Gadget or Precious Tool? A Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Heavy workloads in nursing care and high employee turnover call for efficient methods to support on-the-job training. Within the Witra Care project - aiming to develop mobile technologies to support knowledge transfer between experienced and inexperienced nurses - the objective was to investigate the feasibility and perceived usefulness of advanced smart glasses for an exemplary, specific activity in nursing training - preparation of a surgical instrument table in an operating room. METHODS: Four trainee nurses performed different tasks using speech-command operated smart glasses within an operating room setting and were asked for their expectations towards this technology, their experiences and perceptions. RESULTS: All tasks could be achieved by the trainee nurses, and the overall perception was that the technology is supportive and helpful. DISCUSSION: Our results indicate interest in new wearable technologies for supporting training in nursing care. Limitations include small sample size, selection bias and several technical issues such as speech recognition accuracy or short battery lifetime. More research is necessary to evaluate the usefulness and usability of advanced wearable devices for supporting knowledge transfer and training in nursing care.

Use and Acceptance of Mobile Technology by Hospital Nurses in Germany.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to measure and describe user behavior, information and communication technology (ICT) competence and technology acceptance of hospital nurses. METHODS: 36 nurses received for six weeks a mobile phone or a tablet pc with mobile application and answered one questionnaire before and after the six weeks. RESULTS: The participating nurses show a high technology acceptance and private daily use of technologies. Younger participants judge their ICT competency higher than older nurses. The perceived ease of use is significantly higher in younger participants. The perceived usefulness was evaluated heterogeneously. DISCUSSION: Despite the barriers mobile technology is perceived as useful for nurses in their daily work. Factors influencing personal, institutional and device acceptance were determined in this study and can be helpful to facilitate the process of implementation of mobile technology.

Developing a mobile application for recording learning experiences in nursing practice.

OBJECTIVE: In complex clinical on-the-job training a seamless and target-oriented incorporation is crucial to assure a good medical care. The reliable transmission of specific and relevant facts, besides education knowledge, is a key factor to ensure sustainable quality in care processes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present the clinical field study WITRA care. A possible way to capture hidden clinical care knowledge with assistance of mobile devices will be described. RESULTS: Basic functions to collect learning experiences with mobile devices as well as a secure and confidential manner to support a reliable transmission procedure in the hospital network area are implemented. A user experience questionnaire and a semi-standardized interview illustrate first positive acceptance evaluations and time-saving effects. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: With mobile devices, tacit knowledge gaps can be tapped in a clinical care unit. The study provided first insights and proved its feasibility in general. However, advanced problems and questions arose and will be considered in the future.

Usage of multilingual mobile translation applications in clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Communication between patients and medical staff can be challenging if both parties have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Specialized applications can potentially alleviate these problems and significantly contribute to an effective, improved care process when foreign language patients are involved. OBJECTIVE: The objective for this paper was to discuss the experiences gained from a study carried out at the Hannover Medical School regarding the use of a mobile translation application in hospital wards. The conditions for successfully integrating these technologies in the care process are discussed. METHODS: iPads with a preinstalled copy of an exemplary multilingual assistance tool ("xprompt") designed for use in medical care were deployed on 10 wards. Over a period of 6 weeks, approximately 160 employees of the care staff had the opportunity to gather experiences with the devices while putting them to use during their work. Afterwards, the participants were asked to fill out an anonymous, paper-based questionnaire (17 questions) covering the usability of the iPads, translation apps in general, and the exemplary chosen application specifically. For questions requiring a rating, Likert scales were employed. The retained data were entered into an electronic survey system and exported to Microsoft Excel 2007 for further descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Of 160 possible participants, 42 returned the questionnaire and 39 completed the questions concerning the chosen app. The demographic data acquired via the questionnaire (ie, age, professional experience, gender) corresponded to the values for the entire care staff at the Hannover Medical School. Most respondents (35/39, 90%) had no previous experience with an iPad. On a 7-point scale, the participants generally rated mobile translation tools as helpful for communicating with foreign language patients (36/39, 92%; median=5, IQR=2). They were less enthusiastic about xprompt's practical use (36/39, median=4, IQR=2.5), although the app was perceived as easy-to-use (36/39, median=6, IQR=3) and there were no obvious problems with the usability of the device (36/39, median=6, IQR=2). CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancy between the expert ratings for xprompt (collected from the App Store and online) and the opinions of the study's participants can probably be explained by the differing approaches of the two user groups. The experts had clear expectations, whereas, without a more thorough introduction, our study participants perceived using the app as too time consuming in relation to the expected benefit. The introduction of such tools in today's busy care settings should therefore be more carefully planned to heighten acceptance of new tools. Still, the low return rate of the questionnaires only allows for speculations on the data, and further research is necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the local institutional review board (IRB), Trial ID number: 1145-2011.