Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026
Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Feasibility of an iPad application for studying menopause-related symptom clusters and women's heuristics
Rita Ismail1,2, Lauri A Linder3, Catherine Fiona MacPherson4,5
1a Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA .
Purpose:
To evaluate feasibility, including usability and utility, of the Computerized Symptom Capture Tool for Menopause (C-SCAT-M), a symptom heuristics application (app) for the iPad, with midlife women.
Methods:
Thirty midlife women aged 40-60 and experiencing symptoms they associated with menopause were recruited through flyers posted on a university campus, primary care and women's health clinics. The C-SCAT-M guided participants to identify symptoms they experienced, draw temporal and causal relationships between symptoms and identify symptom clusters. Women were encouraged to think aloud as they encountered questions or problems and their comments were audio recorded. After completing the C-SCAT-M, they completed a 22-item acceptability survey and a demographic survey. Data were downloaded from catalyst website and analyzed using SPSS.
Results:
Women completed the C-SCAT-M with minimal difficulty, with most indicating that using the app was very/extremely easy and most (57%) preferred using the iPad app to paper. Most women stated that the final diagrams were very/extremely accurate depictions of their symptom clusters and relationships (77%).
Conclusion:
The C-SCAT-M demonstrated initial feasibility, including usability and utility, for collecting data about symptom clusters experienced by midlife women.
