An Electronic Health Tool to Prepare for the First Orthopedic Consultation: Use and Usability Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Orthopedics
• Patient Education

Background:

• Electronic health (eHealth) tools show promise for preparing patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) for initial orthopedic consultations.
• Exploring the use and usability of such tools can identify modifications to boost patient engagement and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utilization and usability of a standalone educational eHealth tool for patients with suspected hip or knee OA.
• To compare questions generated by the eHealth tool against a standard question prompt list.
• To examine the relationship between user characteristics and the adoption and usability of the eHealth tool.

Main Methods:

• Data from 144 participants in a randomized controlled trial using an educational eHealth tool were analyzed.
• Users were classified as active or superficial based on tool engagement; usability was measured by the System Usability Scale (SUS).
• Multivariable logistic regression analyzed associations between patient characteristics (OA knowledge, internet usage) and tool use.

Main Results:

• 80.6% of participants used the eHealth tool, with 75% being active users; medication information was the least accessed component.
• A fourth predefined question was proposed based on user-generated queries; the mean SUS score was 64.8.
• Higher baseline OA knowledge and lower daily internet usage correlated with increased tool adoption; no demographic differences were found between active and superficial users.

Conclusions:

• The educational eHealth tool is a feasible method for preparing patients with hip and knee OA for their first orthopedic consultation.
• Content enhancements are recommended to improve the tool's usability and effectiveness.
• No specific subgroups were identified for targeted implementation support based on current findings.