Monitoring Upper Extremity Function of Individuals With Breast Cancer: Development and Usability of the...

Upper extremity (UE) impairment is a leading cause of decreased function in breast cancer (BC) survivors. Failure to recognize and properly manage these impairments can lead to significant and sustained functional limitations. Few supports exist to help survivors monitor UE impairments related to BC over time. The purpose of this project was to evaluate usability of the StrongArms-Cancer mHealth system from the patient and the health-provider perspective. This project had 2 parts to evaluate the usability of the StrongArms-Cancer system. Part 1: Participant usability testing; Part 2: Expert heuristics evaluation. In part 1, participants were adults with a previous diagnosis of BC. They were asked to use the think-aloud method while completing 6 tasks in the system to assess usability. Users completed the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) and System Usability Scale (SUS) at the end of the session. Session transcripts were coded using deductive content analysis to identify specific types of usability issues. Quantitative data from the MAUQ and SUS were summarized using descriptive statistics. Participants in part 2 were health providers living in Canada. They were asked to review and evaluate the mHealth system based on established heuristic principles. Data from the heuristic evaluations were summarized descriptively into main usability issues identified. Think-aloud transcripts highlighted 10 categories of usability issues. Most users (n = 12; 75%) rated the system as "excellent" or better; the mean SUS score was 86.9 (SD 12.06), demonstrating a "superior" score. MAUQ total scores averaged 104.7 (SD: 14.91). The 2 heuristic criteria that resulted in the greatest number of violations (n = 5) were "help and documentation" and "consistency and standards." The findings from think-aloud sessions and heuristic evaluations revealed high user satisfaction and demonstrated effective usability. The StrongArms-Cancer mHealth system shows promise in aiding the proactive surveillance and monitoring of individuals with BC.