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A Voice App Design for Heart Failure Self-management: Proof-of-Concept Implementation Study
Antonia Barbaric1,2,3, Cosmin Munteanu4,5, Heather Ross6,7,8
1Centre for Digital Therapeutics, Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
JMIR Formative Research
|December 21, 2022
Summary
Voice apps show promise for digital therapeutics (DTx) in chronic disease management, with high accuracy and acceptability. Further research is needed to address engagement decline and specific feature needs for optimal patient use.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Digital Therapeutics
Background:
- Voice user interfaces (VUIs) are increasingly used in healthcare for patient engagement.
- There is growing interest in VUIs for enhancing patient engagement with digital therapeutics (DTx) in chronic disease management.
- VUIs may improve accessibility for patients with specific needs, such as older adults or those with impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate participant interaction with a voice app version of the DTx, Medly, for heart failure management.
- To assess the acceptability and feasibility of using a voice-based DTx in a real-world setting.
- To understand user engagement patterns and identify potential barriers and facilitators for VUI adoption in DTx.
Main Methods:
- A 4-week mixed methods study with 20 participants diagnosed with heart failure.
- Quantitative data included engagement levels, accuracy rates, and questionnaires analyzed via descriptive statistics.
- Qualitative data from semistructured interviews were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach.
Main Results:
- Average engagement was 73%, with a decline observed over the 4 weeks.
- The voice app demonstrated high accuracy (97.8%) and successfully transmitted data.
- Participants found the app acceptable and not overly burdensome, though future use intention declined.
- Qualitative themes revealed adaptation to conversational style, device unreliability, and desire for specific features.
Conclusions:
- Participants largely succeeded in using the voice app, indicating feasibility for clinical deployment.
- The study identified a potential patient profile for this technology: older adults with flexible schedules, tech confidence, and other medical conditions.
- Addressing barriers like device reliability and incorporating desired features could enhance future VUI-DTx implementations.
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