A Technological Tool Aimed at Self-Care in Patients With Multimorbidity: Cross-Sectional Usability Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Gerontology

Background:

• Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are vital for patient self-care.
• Usability is crucial for positive health outcomes when patients interact with technology.
• Multimorbidity can affect patient interaction with health technologies, necessitating usability studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the usability of a health and self-care technological tool for primary care patients with multimorbidity.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional usability study was conducted within the TeNDER project.
• 38 patients (aged >60, with chronic diseases) participated, evaluating effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction.
• Usability variables were analyzed against sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, with logistic regression for task completion factors.

Main Results:

• Usability effectiveness was high (89.3% task completion), with 66.7% completing all tasks.
• However, efficiency was moderate (median 296s per task) and satisfaction was low (median 55/100).
• Educational level was a factor in independent task completion (OR 1.79).

Conclusions:

• Despite high effectiveness, low efficiency and satisfaction indicate other interfering factors.
• Multimorbidity was not a significant factor affecting the usability of this technological tool.
• Further research is needed to optimize ICT usability for self-care in multimorbid populations.