Cross-sectional study on user requirements for developing a digital patient navigator app

TL;DR

This study explored what features patients want in a digital app to help them navigate healthcare, finding that preferences vary by age, education, and language.

Contribution

The study identifies key app features and how patient characteristics influence their perceived importance and usage frequency.

Findings

Communication with physicians was the most preferred app feature.

Younger patients and those with lower education valued real-time notifications and personalized treatment plans more.

Language accessibility and personalization are critical for broad app acceptance.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess patients’ preferences regarding the content and features of a digital patient navigator app. A secondary objective was to explore how patient characteristics influence the perceived importance and anticipated frequency of use of different app components.

The study was a monocentric cross-sectional survey conducted at the University Hospital Erlangen. A questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was designed to inquire about patients’ preferences for a digital patient navigator. Participants had breast diseases. Descriptive analyses were conducted to identify key app features and their correlation with patient characteristics.

Questionnaires from 243 patients were analyzed. Preferred key app features, in order of preference from highest to lowest, were as follows: a communication feature to chat with treating physicians, a personalized treatment plan, real-time notifications, mediation services for providing support, 3D navigation within the hospital, and personal documents. Patients’ age, native language, and education significantly influenced the assessment of importance and frequency of use of some app features. A personalized treatment plan was considered more important by younger individuals (≤60 years, p < 0.001), whereas real-time notifications were considered more important by participants with a lower educational level (p = 0.003) and younger individuals (p = 0.036). Increased frequency of use of a personalized treatment plan tool was also associated with younger age (p < 0.001) and lower education levels (p = 0.025).

These findings suggest that a patient navigator app could be a valuable tool for a broad range of patients, potentially complementing in-person patient navigators. To ensure broad usability and acceptance, future development should account for varying needs across patient subgroups—particularly in terms of personalization, language accessibility, and communication features.

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