Development of a Mobile App for Self-Care Against COVID-19 Using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation,...

Area of Science:

• Mobile Health (mHealth)
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Health Education

Background:

• Mobile health applications are crucial for managing and preventing infectious diseases.
• Self-care skills are vital for illness prevention and can be enhanced via mobile health apps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, develop, and evaluate an educational mobile app for COVID-19 self-prevention in underdeveloped countries.
• The app was designed for ease of use, speed, and affordability.

Main Methods:

• A methodological study using the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) model was conducted in 2020-2021.
• A self-care management mobile app was developed and evaluated by 27 participants using usability and self-care inventory scales with pre- and posttesting.

Main Results:

• The developed Android app, MyShield, demonstrated positive effects on self-care skills, with average scores of 4.17 for physical health and 3.88 for mental well-being.
• MyShield received high ratings for interface, satisfaction, ease of use, and usefulness.

Conclusions:

• MyShield supports learning self-care skills at home, enhancing information acquisition, even during quarantine.
• The app's low cost and ADDIE-based design make it suitable for underdeveloped countries lacking other health tools.
• MyShield can be an effective tool for COVID-19 prevention in low-income nations if government-recommended.