Development and Evaluation of a Persian-Language Self-Management Mobile Application for People With Spinal Cord...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Mobile Health Applications

Background:

• Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents significant long-term disability and complex management challenges.
• Mobile health (mHealth) apps are increasingly vital for SCI patient self-management due to high adoption rates.
• A gap exists for a Persian-language mHealth app tailored to the specific needs of individuals with SCI in Iran and Persian-speaking regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel Persian-language mobile application for self-management of spinal cord injury.
• To evaluate the short-term usability of this tailored mHealth application among individuals with SCI.

Main Methods:

• An applied developmental study conducted in two phases: design/development and usability evaluation.
• Requirements and capabilities were identified, followed by conceptual model development.
• Usability was assessed using the Persian version of the Measurement of User Experience (MAUQ) questionnaire.

Main Results:

• The developed application features modules for autonomic dysreflexia, skin care, bowel/bladder management, lifestyle, and a specialist finder.
• The mHealth application achieved a usability score of 78.7% in the evaluation phase.
• This score indicates an acceptable level of usability for the target population.

Conclusions:

• The application's design and development were specifically adapted to the linguistic and cultural needs of Persian-speaking individuals with SCI.
• Usability evaluation identified areas for refinement, ensuring the app effectively addresses common SCI complications.
• The study provides a culturally and linguistically relevant mHealth tool for SCI self-management in Persian-speaking communities.