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Workload, Usability, and Engagement with a Mobile App Supporting Video Observation of Methadone Take-Home Dosing:
Bulat Idrisov1, Kevin A Hallgren2, Alyssa Michaels3
1Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
JMIR Human Factors
|July 13, 2023
Summary
A new mobile app for remote methadone dosing via video directly observed therapy (DOT) showed high usability and engagement for patients with opioid use disorder. Counselors found the app moderately usable, indicating room for improvement in the provider portal.
Area of Science:
- Digital health interventions
- Substance use disorder treatment
- Mobile health applications
Background:
- Methadone is crucial for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment but in-person dosing presents barriers.
- Digital technology offers remote direct observed therapy (DOT) to reduce treatment access issues.
- Limited data exist on the usability of remote DOT technology for OUD patients and counselors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Assess patient and counselor workload, usability, and engagement with a video-based DOT mobile app for methadone treatment.
- Evaluate the provider-facing portal for counselors using the video DOT system.
Main Methods:
- Usability testing of a video DOT smartphone app with 12 patients and 3 counselors in an opioid treatment program.
- Participants completed core tasks and rated workload (NASA-TLX), usability (mSUS), and engagement (mES).
Main Results:
- Patients and counselors reported low workload, effort, and frustration.
- Patients reported high usability (mean 85) and engagement (mean 3.8).
- Counselors reported moderate usability (mean 43.3) and engagement (mean 2.81).
Conclusions:
- A mobile health app for video-based methadone DOT has low workload and high patient usability.
- Opportunities exist to enhance the usability and engagement of the counselor-facing portal.
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