Navigating lupus with ease: A patient-driven mobile application for improved self-management

BackgroundLupus can affect various aspects of patients' lives, including family relationships, daily activities, work, and independence, because of inflammation and disease-related complications. Self-management applications are among the potential solutions for controlling and managing these complications. Therefore, this study aimed to design and evaluate a mobile-based application for self-management among patients with lupus.MethodsThis study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a systematic review was conducted to identify the information needs of patients and the required capabilities of the application. The identified information needs and capabilities were then confirmed by 12 patients with lupus and six rheumatologists. In the second phase, based on the information and capabilities confirmed in the previous phase, an application prototype was developed and evaluated. To evaluate the application, eight patients with lupus used the application for 1 week. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data obtained from both phases.ResultsAccording to the opinions of patients and physicians, 61 of 70 information items and capabilities met the predefined 75% inclusion threshold and were considered for application design, whereas nine items that scored below this threshold were excluded. The application included four domains: user profile, lifestyle, disease management and control, and application capabilities. Patients rated the usability of the application as good, with a mean score of 7.5 out of 9.ConclusionThe application developed in this study demonstrated good usability and has the potential to support self-management and self-care among patients with lupus. However, longer-term studies involving larger and more diverse samples are needed to assess sustained use and potential clinical impact.