title: Accessibility of mHealth Self-Care Apps for Individuals with Spina Bifida.
abstract: As the smartphone becomes ubiquitous, mobile health is becoming a viable technology to empower individuals to engage in preventive self-care. An innovative mobile health system called iMHere (Internet Mobile Health and Rehabilitation) has been developed at the University of Pittsburgh to support self-care and adherence to self-care regimens for individuals with spina bifida and other complex conditions who are vulnerable to secondary complications. The goal of this study was to explore the accessibility of iMHere apps for individuals with spina bifida. Six participants were asked to perform tasks in a lab environment. Though all of the participants were satisfied with the iMHere apps and would use them again in the future, their needs and preferences to access and use iMHere apps differed. Personalization that provides the ability for a participant to modify the appearance of content, such as the size of the icons and the color of text, could be an ideal solution to address potential issues and barriers to accessibility. The importance of personalization--and potential strategies--for accessibility are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Daihua X
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Bambang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parmanto
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Brad E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Dicianno
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Gede
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pramana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063731:Mobile Applications; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods; D000068997:Smartphone; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000628:therapy*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000628:therapy
keywords: accessibility; mobile health; self-care; smartphone apps; wellness