Can the documented patient briefing be carried out with an iPad app?

Abstract

To evaluate the feasibility of an iPad-based documented patient briefing for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations. A standard briefing sheet and questionnaire for a MRI scan was converted from paper form into an iPad application. Twenty patients, who had been referred for an MRI scan, were briefed about the examination in paper form as well as via the iPad application before performing the MRI scan. Time each patient needed for the briefing and the number of questions that came up were documented. Patients' acceptance of the electronic briefing was assessed using a questionnaire. The mean processing time was 2.36 min (range 0.58 to 09.35 min., standard deviation ±2.05 min) for the paper-based briefing and 4.15 min (range 1.56 to 13.48 min, SD ± 2.36 min) for the app-based briefing. Concerning technical aspects, patients asked two questions during the app-based briefing; no questions arose during the paper-based briefing. Six patients preferred electronic briefing and four patients, the paper-based form. No patient preferred the electronic form with additional multimedial information. Eight participants did not mind which briefing version was used; two participants did not express their preference at all. Our experiences showed that electronic briefing using an iPad is feasible and has the potential to become a user-friendly alternative to the conventional paper-based approach. Owing to the broad range of the results, a follow-up study will seek to determine the influencing factors on processing time and other potential questions.

Fig. 1

Conventional MRI briefing in the form of a single A4 sheet of paper

Fig. 2

The components of the MRI briefing in Fig. 1 are outlined in red and correspond to the content of the 18 slides of the app. Table 1 provides an overview as to which slides of the app are included in the publication

Fig. 3

The first slide of the briefing. New patient profiles can be created by pressing the button “Patient Admission.” The button “Patient List” leads to the password-protected database in which patient data from prior briefings can be stored. For data protection reasons, this data was deleted after evaluation

Fig. 4

The second slide of the briefing is used as a patient information leaflet which provides a concise and clear explanation of the examination. The content is identical to the paper briefing

Fig. 5

The third slide is also used as a patient information leaflet and asks the patient to prepare for the examination. The content is identical to the paper briefing. As with the paper briefing, patients are asked to direct their questions to the medical staff

Fig. 6

The fifth slide asks patients for their surnames. Patients can enter their names using the virtual standard keyboard in the bottom half of the screen

Fig. 7

Patients can enter their dates of birth by using scroll wheels, which due to their design, users of smart phones and tablets will be familiar with. To avoid formal misunderstandings concerning days and/or months, the latter were provided in words

Fig. 8

A numeric keyboard was chosen for providing one’s body weight. The keys were deliberately programmed big so that data can be entered more easily

Fig. 9

Example of one of the questions: “Have you ever had any surgery?” The answer box is clearly ticked and can be corrected if the wrong box was selected. Specific information can be added in the free text box below

Fig. 10

For graphical reasons, the declaration of consent field was changed in comparison with the paper briefing, so that patients first need to select the input field by pressing the “I agree“ button in order to get to the signature field

Fig. 11

The signature field is the 18th and last slide of the briefing. The green arrows point towards the touch-sensitive input field

Fig. 12

Evaluation of the visual version (“I find the app visually appealing”)