Evaluating the Usability of mHealth Applications on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Various MCDM Methods

Abstract

The recent developments in the IT world have brought several changes in the medical industry. This research work focuses on few mHealth applications that work on the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by the patients on their own. Looking into the present doctor-to-patient ratio in our country (1:1700 as per a Times of India report in 2021), it is very essential to develop self-management mHealth applications. Thus, there is a need to ensure simple and user-friendly mHealth applications to improve customer satisfaction. The goal of this study is to assess and appraise the usability and effectiveness of existing T2DM-focused mHealth applications. TOPSIS, VIKOR, and PROMETHEE II are three multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches considered in the proposed work for the evaluation of the usability of five existing T2DM mHealth applications, which include Glucose Buddy, mySugr, Diabetes: M, Blood Glucose Tracker, and OneTouch Reveal. The methodology used in the research work is a questionnaire-based evaluation that focuses on certain attributes and sub-attributes, identified based on the features of mHealth applications. CRITIC methodology is used for obtaining the attribute weights, which give the priority of the attributes. The resulting analysis signifies our proposed research by ranking the mHealth applications based on usability and customer satisfaction.

Usability Evaluation and Classification of mHealth Applications for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using MARS and ID3 Algorithm

“…There are various ways, such as MCDM methodologies [ 38 , 39 ], MARS, ID3, etc., through which we can determine the usability of T2DM mHealth applications. The purpose of this assessment has been to determine the quality, effectiveness, and functionality of T2DM mHealth applications and to recommend the optimal one for use.…”

Usability of an mHealth application in India for type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…The use of smartphones and mHealth apps is growing rapidly in India (GroupM, 2020); however, few studies have assessed T2DM mHealth app usability in this context, and we found none that have used the MAUQ, the current gold standard for evaluating mHealth app usability. However, one robust study has evaluated the usability of five self-management T2DM mHealth apps using various multi-criteria decision-making approaches (Gupta et al, 2022). The same study examined simplicity and ease of use and ranked apps based on their analysis of usability and customer satisfaction.…”

“…Attributes examined included learnability, efficiency, memorability, aesthetics, errors, navigation, readability, cognitive load, provision for physically challenged users and user satisfaction. Attributes with the highest scores among the five apps included readability and learnability (Gupta et al, 2022).…”

Expanding impact of mobile health programs: SAHELI for maternal and child care

“…Mobile health (mHealth) programs, that leverage the widespread use of cellphones, are a crucial resource for bridging information inequities for underserved and marginalized communities in the global south (Tshikomana and Ramukumba 2022; Gupta et al. 2022), especially in areas such as public health and social services where access to authoritative information is unevenly distributed. Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) periodically send automated voice messages to improve health outcomes of beneficiaries.…”