A Reminder App for Optimizing Bladder Filling During Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Pre-study in Healthy...

Area of Science:

• Radiotherapy
• Oncology
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Radiotherapy for prostate cancer can lead to genitourinary toxicity.
• Maintaining adequate bladder volume (≥200 ml) during treatment may reduce toxicity risks.
• A water reminder app could help patients achieve sufficient bladder volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the usability and user satisfaction of a novel water reminder application.
• To identify necessary modifications for the app before patient investigation.
• To evaluate the app's performance in healthy volunteers.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 30 healthy volunteers.
• Participants tested a water reminder app and rated satisfaction with its download, installation, navigation, and content/functions.
• User satisfaction rates were analyzed, with <80% indicating a need for optimization.

Main Results:

• High satisfaction rates were observed for app download/installation (90.0%) and navigation (96.6%-100%).
• The app's reminder function received a satisfaction rate of 79.3%, indicating a need for optimization.
• No significant differences in usability were found between iPhone and Android users.

Conclusions:

• The water reminder app is largely usable but requires specific modifications, particularly concerning its reminder function.
• Pre-study evaluation in healthy volunteers is crucial for refining digital health tools before clinical application.
• Further development is needed to optimize the app for patient use in managing bladder volume during radiotherapy.