A scoping review assessing the usability of digital health technologies targeting people with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Digital health technologies (DHTs) have become progressively more integrated into the healthcare of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). To ensure that DHTs meet end-users' needs, it is essential to assess their usability. The objective of this study was to determine how DHTs targeting people with MS incorporate usability characteristics into their design and/or evaluation. We conducted a scoping review of DHT studies in MS published from 2010 to the present using PubMed, Web of Science, OVID Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and medRxiv. Covidence was used to facilitate the review. We included articles that focused on people with MS and/or their caregivers, studied DHTs (including mhealth, telehealth, and wearables), and employed quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs. Thirty-two studies that assessed usability were included, which represents a minority of studies (26%) that assessed DHTs in MS. The most common DHT was mobile applications (n = 23, 70%). Overall, studies were highly heterogeneous with respect to what usability principles were considered and how usability was assessed. These findings suggest that there is a major gap in the application of standardized usability assessments to DHTs in MS. Improvements in the standardization of usability assessments will have implications for the future of digital health care for people with MS.

Fig. 1. Study selection flow diagram.

Data extracted from Covidence. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Review papers, animal studies, unpublished trial data, conference abstracts, opinion pieces, case studies, and letters.; 2. No reported usability outcome measure; 3. Studies with data in MS patients that is not accessible, or that is presented in conjunction with co-morbidities; 4. DHT not for patient populations with MS (primary diagnosis), healthcare practitioners, formal care providers, and researchers; 5. Machine learning and AI studies to assess healthcare data for MS. κ = Cohen’s kappa value.