Preparing for the Next Physician's Visit: Usability and Validity of a Mobile Health App for People Living with HIV

Person-reported outcomes (PROs) are valuable in clinical practice but can be time-consuming. Our goal was to understand how people living with HIV (PLHIV) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) perceive and interact with a mHealth app, "Prepara Tu Consulta" (PTC), designed to provide essential information, requiring less effort than completing multiple validated PROs, and to evaluate its performance compared with these PROs. Data from 393 PLHIV on antiretroviral treatment for ≥ 1 year were collected (June 2022-June 2023). Participants completed PTC, EuroQoL-5D-5L (generalized), and specific PROs, including WHOQOL-HIV BREF, HADS, HIV Symptoms Index (HSI), EACS depression scale, and SMAQ. PLHIV and HCPs rated PTC positively for usability, satisfaction, and usefulness (77% and 56%, respectively, scoring ≥ 70%). PTC items correlated well with both generalized and specific PROs (e.g., 86% with EuroQoL-5D-5L). PTC is a user-friendly, effective alternative to standard PROs, offering valuable insights into quality of life, symptoms, and emotional well-being for PLHIV.