Smartphone technology and its applications in urology: a review of the literature

Tapiero, Shlomi; Yoon, Renai; Jefferson, Francis; Sung, John; Limfueco, Luke; Cottone, Courtney; Lu, Shao Chun; Patel, Roshan; Landman, Jaime; Clayman, Ralph V.

doi:10.1007/s00345-019-02960-y

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Tapiero et al [ 11 ] reviewed the application of smartphone technology in a review article and showed that, advances made in mobile health-related technologies and the increase in popularity of smartphones have provided a health promotion opportunity for patients and service providers. They also referred to the effectiveness of smartphone application in comparison to the performance of conventional methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention and control of urinary tract stones using a smartphone-based self-care application: design and evaluation

Shahmoradi

Azizpour

Bejani

et al. 2021

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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Background Self-care and participation of patients in improving health and increasing awareness about the risk factors that affect the development of disease in patients with urinary tract stones are influential factors in controlling and improving the quality of life in these patients. In this regard, the availability and capability of smartphones increase patients’ self-care ability. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a self-care application based on smartphones for patients with urinary tract stones. Methods The present study is a developmental and applied study that was conducted in three phases. First, the information needs and functionalities of the self-care application were determined by surveying 101 patients, 32 urologists and nephrologists, 11 nurses, and six other specialists. In the second phase, the initial sample of the smartphone-based application was created, and in the third phase, the designed application was evaluated by 15 experts using the standard Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ 18.3) and Nielsen’s Attributes of Usability (NAU) questionnaire. Results of the questionnaires were entered into SPSS-23 software for analysis using descriptive statistics. Results In the first phase, 21 information elements and nine critical functionalities for the self-care application were identified, and then this application was designed by Java programming language. The evaluation of experts showed that two aspects of the quality of system user interface from the user's point of view and the overall performance of the application together obtained the highest score (6.43 from 7), which was equal to 91.85%. Then according to the experts, aspects of the degree of convenience and user-friendliness of the application received the highest score (6.10 from 7), which was equal to 87.14%, and also all aspects of the application were evaluated at an acceptable level. In general, results of the evaluation of application's usability by experts showed that the usability of the application for patients with urinary tract stones was at an acceptable level. Conclusion According to the results obtained from evaluating the smartphone-based application for patients with urinary tract stones, this self-care application can be used to prevent and control urinary tract stones and facilitate self-care and active patient participation in care.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention and control of urinary tract stones using a smartphone-based self-care application: design and evaluation

Shahmoradi

Azizpour

Bejani

et al. 2021

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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“…They concluded that, although smartphone app technology has the potential to enrich education in urology, further participation by specialists in app design and content was needed to ensure high quality reliable and information is provided. These findings were echoed by Shapiro et al in 2019 (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Urology at your fingertips: the development of a urology m-learning app for medical students

Keane¹,

Bhatt²,

Collins³

et al. 2021

Transl Androl Urol

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Background: Surgical education has embraced advancing technology with an emphasis on e-learning in recent years. Smartphones are a useful tool for medical teaching and learning with increasing use by medical students to access e-books, medical calculators, podcasts, and medical applications (apps). Our aim was to develop a dedicated urology app for medical students as an adjunct to traditional teaching. Methods:We published an e-book: Urology Handbook for Medical Students in 2017 based on the core urology curriculum for medical students. Subsequently, we developed a concise, simple and user-friendly smartphone app for medical students called "Urology Med", available for download on App Store and Google Play.Results: This app is an introduction to urology for medical students but may also be useful for interns and surgical trainees. The app encompasses core urology topics subdivided into common urological presentations, urological examination, urological diseases, and urological devices. To make the app interactive, it includes 5 clinical cases that complement the reading material and six quizzes for self-assessment. A comprehensive checklist of 31 "must see" and "good to see" urology experiences is included. Within one month of launch, the app was downloaded 435 times in five countries across three continents. It has a 5-star rating on the Apple store.Conclusions: High educational standards with relevant content make e-learning a valuable learning tool for surgical education. The Urology Med app facilitates easy access to urology and is ideal for quick reading while working or revising.

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“…Mobile apps are widely used by the general public, and the number of urology-related mobile apps has multiplied in recent decades [15]. These apps support patients with a wide range of urologic conditions, but their usage is unstandardized and unregulated [16]; in addition, mobile app usage remains inconsistently integrated with routine clinical care [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Older Men Using a Mobile Health App to Monitor Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Tamsulosin Side Effects: Mixed Methods Study

Wang¹,

Breyer²,

Lee³

et al. 2021

JMIR Hum Factors

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Background Mobile health (mHealth) apps may provide an efficient way for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) to log and communicate symptoms and medication side effects with their clinicians. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of older men with LUTS after using an mHealth app to track their symptoms and tamsulosin side effects. Methods Structured phone interviews were conducted after a 2-week study piloting the daily use of a mobile app to track the severity of patient-selected LUTS and tamsulosin side effects. Quantitative and qualitative data were considered. Results All 19 (100%) pilot study participants completed the poststudy interviews. Most of the men (n=13, 68%) reported that the daily questionnaires were the right length, with 32% (n=6) reporting that the questionnaires were too short. Men with more severe symptoms were less likely to report changes in perception of health or changes in self-management; 47% (n=9) of the men reported improved awareness of symptoms and 5% (n=1) adjusted fluid intake based on the questionnaire. All of the men were willing to share app data with their clinicians. Thematic analysis of qualitative data yielded eight themes: (1) orientation (setting up app, format, symptom selection, and side-effect selection), (2) triggers (routine or habit and symptom timing), (3) daily questionnaire (reporting symptoms, reporting side effects, and tailoring), (4) technology literacy, (5) perceptions (awareness, causation or relevance, data quality, convenience, usefulness, and other apps), (6) self-management, (7) clinician engagement (communication and efficiency), and (8) improvement (reference materials, flexibility, language, management recommendations, and optimize clinician engagement). Conclusions We assessed the perceptions of men using an mHealth app to monitor and improve management of LUTS and medication side effects. LUTS management may be further optimized by tailoring the mobile app experience to meet patients’ individual needs, such as tracking a greater number of symptoms and integrating the app with clinicians’ visits. mHealth apps are likely a scalable modality to monitor symptoms and improve care of older men with LUTS. Further study is required to determine the best ways to tailor the mobile app and to communicate data to clinicians or incorporate data into the electronical medical record meaningfully.

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Smartphone technology and its applications in urology: a review of the literature

Cited by 24 publications

References 54 publications

Prevention and control of urinary tract stones using a smartphone-based self-care application: design and evaluation

Prevention and control of urinary tract stones using a smartphone-based self-care application: design and evaluation

Urology at your fingertips: the development of a urology m-learning app for medical students

Perceptions of Older Men Using a Mobile Health App to Monitor Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Tamsulosin Side Effects: Mixed Methods Study

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