Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov 14;2(1):302-314.
doi: 10.1080/24740527.2018.1540261. eCollection 2018.

Development and Usability Evaluation of a Desktop Software Application for Pain Assessment in Infants

Amos S Hundert  1   2 , Marsha Campbell-Yeo  1   3   4   5 , Harrison R Brook  2   6 , Lori M Wozney  7 , Kelly O'Connor  1
Affiliations

Development and Usability Evaluation of a Desktop Software Application for Pain Assessment in Infants

Amos S Hundert et al. Can J Pain. .

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Background: Pain assessment is a key component of pain management and research in infants. We developed software to assist in coding of pain in infants called PAiN (Pain Assessment in Neonates).

Aims: The aims of this study were to evaluate the usability of PAiN in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction among novice and expert users and to compare the efficiency and satisfaction of PAiN to existing software for coding of infant pain among expert users.

Methods: A quantitative usability testing approach was conducted with two participant groups, representing novice and expert end-users. Testing included an observed session with each participant completing a pain assessment coding task, followed by administration of the Post Study System Usability Questionnaire and Desirability Toolkit. For comparison, the usability of existing coding software was also evaluated by the expert group.

Results: Twelve novice and six expert users participated. Novice users committed 14 noncritical navigational errors, and experts committed six. For experts, the median time for completing the coding task was 28.6 min in PAiN, compared to 46.5 min using the existing software. The mean Post Study System Usability Questionnaire score among novice (1.89) and expert users (1.40) was not significantly different (P = 0.0917). Among experts, the score for the existing software (4.83) was significantly (P = 0.0277) higher compared to PAiN (1.40). Lower scores indicate more positive responses.

Conclusions: Users were highly satisfied with PAiN. Experts were more efficient with PAiN compared to the existing software. The study was critical to ensuring that PAiN is error free and easy to use prior to implementation.

Contexte: L’évaluation de la douleur est une composante clé de la prise en charge et de la recherche sur la douleur chez les nourrissons. Nous avons développé un logiciel pour aider à codifier la douleur chez les nourrissons appelé PaiN (Pain Assessment in Neonates).But: Évaluer l’utilisabilité de PaiN en termes d’efficacité, d’efficience et de satisfaction auprès d’utilisateurs novices et experts, et comparer l’efficacité de PaiN et la satisfaction d’utilisateurs experts au logiciel existant pour la codification de la douleur chez les nourrissons.Méthodes: Une étude quantitative pour tester l’utilisabilité a été menée auprès de deux groupes de participants, représentant des utilisateurs finaux novices et experts. Le test comprenait l’observation d’une session où chaque participant devait effectuer une tâche de codification de l’évaluation de la douleur, suivie de l’administration du Post Study System Usability Questionnaire et du Desirability Toolkit. À des fins de comparaison, l’utilisabilité d’un logiciel de codification existant a aussi été évaluée par le groupe expert.Résultats: Douze utilisateurs novices et six utilisateurs experts ont participé à l’étude. Les utilisateurs novices ont commis 14 erreurs de navigation non critiques, tandis que les experts en ont commis six. Pour les experts, le temps médian pour effectuer la tâche de codification a été de 28,6 minutes pour PaiN, comparativement à 46,5 minutes lorsque le logiciel existant était utilisé. Le score moyen obtenu pour le Post Study System Usability Questionnaire chez les utilisateurs novices (1,89) et les utilisateurs experts (1,40) n’était pas significativement différent (p=0,0917). Parmi les experts, le score pour le logiciel existant (4,83) était significativement (p=0,0277) plus élevé comparativement à PaiN (1,40). Les scores plus faibles indiquent davantage de réponses positives.Conclusions: Les utilisateurs étaient très satisfaits de PaiN. Les experts ont été plus efficaces avec PaiN qu’avec le logiciel existant. L’étude était d’importance priomordiale pour s’assurer que PaiN ne contienne aucune erreur et soit facile d’utilisation avant sa mise en oeuvre.

Keywords: Premature Infant Pain Profile; infant; pain; pain measurement; software; usability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The infant pain indicator coding process in the PAiN software.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The PAiN software study template window and coding window, following the usability evaluation.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Navigational and system errors committed during each coding phase among novice and expert participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Cruz MD, Fernandes AM, Oliveira CR.. Epidemiology of painful procedures performed in neonates: A systematic review of observational studies. Eur J Pain Lond Engl. 2016;20(4):489–98. doi:10.1002/ejp.757. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stevens BJ, Abbott LK, Yamada J, Harrison D, Stinson J, Taddio A, Barwick M, Latimer M, Scott SD, Rashotte J, et al. Epidemiology and management of painful procedures in children in Canadian hospitals. Cmaj. 2011;183(7):E403–410. doi:10.1503/cmaj.101341. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carbajal R, Rousset A, Danan C, Coquery S, Nolent P, Ducrocq S, Saizou C, Lapillonne A, Granier M, Durand P, et al. Epidemiology and treatment of painful procedures in neonates in intensive care units. JAMA. 2008;300(1):60–70. doi:10.1001/jama.300.1.60. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grunau RE, Holsti L, Peters JWB.. Long-term consequences of pain in human neonates. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2006;11(4):268–75. doi:10.1016/j.siny.2006.02.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stevens BJ, Johnston CC.. Physiological responses of premature infants to a painful stimulus. Nurs Res. 1994;43:226–31. - PubMed