Evaluating the Feasibility of Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes for a Population Receiving Specific Health Checkups: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

This pilot study explores how easy it is for middle-aged and older adults to use electronic devices to report their health outcomes during checkups.

Contribution

The study evaluates ePRO usability and response continuity in a healthy middle-aged and older population, a group less studied in prior ePRO research.

Findings

The average System Usability Scale score was 59.1, below the threshold for 'useful' systems.

Most participants successfully completed monthly ePRO responses for up to 3 months.

Initial onboarding was identified as a major barrier to ePRO adoption.

Abstract

Background: In recent years, electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems on electronic devices, such as smartphones, have been employed to collect patients’ self-assessments and symptom reports. However, these studies were limited to younger populations and patients with severe diseases. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the ease of use and response continuity of an ePRO system used by healthy middle-aged and older adults. Methods: This prospective observational study included participants aged 40–74 years undergoing specific health checkups. The System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to assess ePRO usability. Response continuity was evaluated by assessing EuroQol 5-Dimensional 5-Level responses once a month for up to 3 months after the health checkup date. Results: Eleven participants, aged 47–73 years, participated in the study. The mean SUS on the screening date was 59.1 (95% CI: 50.0–68.1; a cut-off of 70 indicated “useful”). However, only one participant failed to complete the ePRO at one and two months post-examination, and responses were obtained from all participants at three months. Conclusions: Due to the small sample size, usability as measured by the SUS should be interpreted descriptively. While initial onboarding appeared to be a major implementation barrier, sustained monthly ePRO reporting over 3 months was achievable among participants who completed registration with support, suggesting the conditional feasibility of response continuity in this preventive health checkup setting.

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