An mHealth App to Support Fertility Patients Navigating the World of Infertility (Infotility): Development and Usability Study

BackgroundThe experience of infertility and its treatment engenders considerable stress and is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. A mobile health (mHealth) app may be a novel solution to address the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of fertility patients because of its potential to reduce stress and increase patient empowerment. There are a few fertility-related apps that provide information and support to both men and women undergoing fertility treatment; however, none have documented their development and evaluation process. ObjectiveThis study aims to describe the development and evaluation process of a bilingual mHealth app, Infotility, designed to meet the psychoeducational and psychosocial support needs of men and women undergoing fertility treatment. MethodsTo develop the Infotility app, we adhered to the Medical Research Council guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. First, we conducted literature reviews and needs assessment surveys of fertility patients and health care providers who informed the content and design of the app. Second, we tested the intervention with a small group of end users who provided feedback on the design and appropriateness of the app’s content. Third, we evaluated the uptake and usability of the app using a pre-post study design. Finally, we updated the app’s content based on participants’ feedback and searched for partners to disseminate the app to the broader public. ResultsThis study is the first to describe the development and evaluation process of an mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment. The app met its goal in providing fertility patients with a clinician-approved, portable resource for reliable information about medical and psychosocial aspects of infertility and its treatments and a confidential peer support forum monitored by trained peer supporters. Participants rated the engagement, functionality, information, and esthetics of the app positively, with an overall app quality mean score of 3.75 (SD 0.53) and a star rating of 3.43 (SD 0.75), with a total possible score and star rating of 5.00. ConclusionsBy documenting the systematic development and evaluation of the mHealth app for men and women undergoing fertility treatment, this paper can facilitate the replication of the study intervention and the development of similar mHealth apps

Evaluation of a Mobile Health App Offering Fertility Information to Male Patients With Cancer: Usability Study

BackgroundCancer and its treatment can adversely affect male fertility. Although sperm banking is an effective fertility preservation method, there is an unmet need for information and support surrounding these issues. ObjectiveThis usability study evaluates a mobile health app providing male patients with cancer with credible information about the impact of cancer and its treatment on fertility and fertility preservation. MethodsParticipants were recruited by a market research firm. Eligibility criteria were men who were 18-45 years of age, identified as male, diagnosed with new or recurring cancer within 1 year, not in fertility treatment, able to read and write in English or French, and had internet access. App usage was tracked for 2 weeks. After app use, participants provided qualitative feedback about their experiences using the app as well as quantitative data regarding their sperm banking decisions, perceived change in fertility knowledge, evaluation of the app’s information on the Information Assessment Method, and the app’s quality on the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale. ResultsThe sample included 40 men aged 27-45 years. Approximately 68% (27/40) indicated that no one had previously spoken to them about the impact of cancer on fertility, and 85% (34/40) had not received information on fertility preservation. Approximately 83% (33/40) found the app’s information relevant, and 85% (34/40) said that it increased their fertility knowledge. Approximately 23% (9/40) made a decision about sperm banking after using the app. Participants rated the app’s quality highly, with mean scores (out of 5) of 4.14 for information, 4.06 for functionality, 3.84 for aesthetics, and 3.63 for engagement. ConclusionsThe app proved to be useful for male patients with cancer, suggesting that mobile health resources could be beneficial to incorporate into clinical care to enable shared decision-making about fertility

Economic evaluation of healthcare-associated infection prevention and control in long-term care: a systematic review protocol

Abstract Background Given the high risk of contracting a healthcare-associated infection in long-term care facilities, infection prevention and control are essential for the quality of care and safety of residents and staff. To develop more effective infection prevention and control interventions in long-term care facilities, it is important to assess the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of existing interventions. There are only a few reviews on this subject, but these are not recent and most do not perform an economic evaluation. Moreover, none uses a discounting approach which limits inter-study comparison. To address these gaps, we will conduct a systematic review of economic evaluations related to healthcare-associated infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities using a discounting approach. Methods We will query MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, CINAHL, EconLit, JSTOR, and Scopus, as well as the gray literature databases CORDIS and ProQuest. We will include quantitative studies that evaluate four clinical best practices associated with infection prevention and control (hand hygiene, hygiene and sanitation, screening, basic, and additional precautions) and use at least one of five economic analyses (cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, cost-minimization, cost-utility, cost-consequences). Primary outcomes will include net cost savings, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year, and incremental cost per disability-adjusted life year. Two co-authors will independently screen and select articles, extract data, and assess the quality of selected articles using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria, the Economic Evaluation criteria, and the Cochrane criteria for economic evaluation. Extracted data will be synthesized, and values will be adjusted to 2022 Canadian dollars using the discount rates of 3%, 5%, and 8%. Discussion Information obtained through this systematic review may help researchers and policy makers make more efficient use of limited healthcare resources to ensure the safety and quality of long-term care. Systematic review registration Research registry ID: reviewregistry1210

Additional file 3 of Identifying performance factors of long-term care facilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol

Additional file 3: CINAHL

Additional file 7 of Identifying performance factors of long-term care facilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol

Additional file 7: Web of Science

Additional file 2 of Identifying performance factors of long-term care facilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol

Additional file 2: PRISMA-ScR

Profiles of socially isolated community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis

Sourial N, Beauchet O, Kruglova K, et al. Profiles of socially isolated community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis. Maturitas. 2023;171:1-6