Feasibility and Usability of an mHealth App (mLab+) to Guide Users Through HIV and Syphilis Self-Testing: Pilot...

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Point-of-care diagnostics
• Sexually transmitted infection testing

Background:

• HIV self-testing is a key strategy in the US Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.
• The mLab app demonstrated success in promoting HIV self-testing.
• Rising syphilis prevalence and shared risk factors with HIV necessitate improved at-home testing solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and usability of the mLab+ app for simultaneous HIV and syphilis self-testing.
• To evaluate the mLab+ app's ability to support users in performing point-of-care tests for HIV and syphilis.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study recruited participants assigned male at birth who reported sex with men.
• Participants used the mLab+ app to assist with the duplex HIV-Syphilis point-of-care test.
• Usability was assessed using standardized questionnaires; feasibility was measured by recruitment, retention, and app usage data.

Main Results:

• 16 out of 20 participants successfully completed the HIV and syphilis self-test with mLab+ assistance.
• The app demonstrated medium to high usability based on Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire and Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale scores.
• The 3-month retention rate was 80%, with users spending most time on testing-related screens within the app.

Conclusions:

• The mLab+ app shows promise as a tool to aid consumers in self-testing for both HIV and syphilis.
• Further studies are recommended in non-clinic settings to fully understand the app's potential to improve consumer health outcomes.