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CONCERTO app for pediatric inpatients: A qualitative exploration of user experience and empowerment
Hubert Rioux1, Helena Bornet Dit Vorgeat1,2, Klara M Posfay-Barbe3
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Insights
The CONCERTO app successfully engaged pediatric patients and parents, enhancing their hospital experience through interactive features. Personalized content suggestions could further improve patient empowerment and reduce hospitalization stress.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Patient Engagement Technology
Background:
- Hospitals leverage health information technologies to improve patient engagement.
- Geneva University Hospitals developed CONCERTO, a patient application ecosystem.
- CONCERTO aims to foster patient engagement and empowerment during hospitalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate pediatric patient and parent usage of the CONCERTO app.
- Identify functionalities that enhance patient empowerment.
- Assess the app's potential to alleviate hospitalization-related stress.
Main Methods:
- 18 pediatric patients and parents were interviewed during hospitalization.
- Think-Aloud Protocol and thematic analysis were employed.
- User experience with CONCERTO features was assessed through tasks and broader questions.
Main Results:
- Patients and parents appreciated CONCERTO's features, including avatar creation, interactive menus, and the agenda.
- Early introduction of CONCERTO upon arrival was suggested to improve hospital experience.
- Personalized content was recommended to help manage negative hospitalization experiences.
Conclusions:
- CONCERTO demonstrates effectiveness in engaging and empowering patients and parents.
- Further research is needed to assess the app's overall impact.
- Investigating barriers to app adoption by care teams is recommended.
Introduction:
Hospitals increasingly use health information technologies such as websites and apps to foster patient engagement. The Geneva University Hospitals developed CONCERTO, an ecosystem of patient applications for this exact purpose. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate how pediatric patients and their parents use the app CONCERTO and 2) to pinpoint functionalities that could facilitate patient empowerment and consequently alleviate the stress of children and their parents related to hospitalization.
Materials And Methods:
We interviewed 18 children and their parents during their hospitalization at the pediatric unit from May 20th to November 15th, 2022. Firstly, inspired by the Think-Aloud Protocol, we asked participants to complete a few specific tasks using the application. Then, we asked broader questions to better understand how CONCERTO could enhance patient empowerment. We used thematic analysis to explore the rich data set.
Results:
Children and their parents appreciated the features of the app. Specifically, they enjoyed creating an avatar and were grateful to have access to the interactive meal menu and the agenda. Both patients and parents would have appreciated learning about CONCERTO upon their arrival as it could have improved their hospital experience. Participants shared challenges they faced during their hospitalization and made suggestions about how more personalized content in CONCERTO could help overcome negative moments.
Conclusions:
CONCERTO effectively engaged and empowered patients and parents during their hospitalization. Further research is needed to evaluate the overall impact of such an app and understand the hurdles the care team faces in promoting the use of the app.
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