This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

TTRN CPH 2022: "Digital Health beyond COVID-19: Lessons Learned" (37)

Published on in Vol 8, No 1 (2022): Jan-Dec

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/41109, first published .
The Heart Game: A New Tool for Digital Patient Education for Patients With Heart Failure

The Heart Game: A New Tool for Digital Patient Education for Patients With Heart Failure

The Heart Game: A New Tool for Digital Patient Education for Patients With Heart Failure

Authors of this article:

Lisbeth Gade Hamborg1 Author Orcid Image ;   Rikke Jankuhn Petersen1 ;   Helle Spindler2 ;   Birthe Dinesen1
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Laboratory for Welfare Technology- Digital Health & Rehabilitation, Sport Sciences- Performance and Technology, Department for Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    2Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Corresponding Author:

    Lisbeth Gade Hamborg, BSc, MSc

    Laboratory for Welfare Technology- Digital Health & Rehabilitation, Sport Sciences- Performance and Technology

    Department for Health Science and Technology

    Aalborg University

    Fredrik Bajers Vej 7D

    Aalborg

    Denmark

    Phone: 45 50820076

    Email: Lghamborg@hotmail.com


    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for new ways to perform remote patient education. Patients with heart failure are associated with a high readmission rate. Rehabilitation can prevent hospital readmissions, but there is poor participation in rehabilitation of patients with heart failure. Based on user-driven innovation in the Future Patient research project, we have developed the prototype of the digital Heart Game. The Heart Game is a new approach to digital patient education, where patients can access a digital board game via an app; through the board game, they can be presented with quizzes, activities, and reflection questions, all related to heart failure.

    Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the usability of the Heart Game prototype app.

    Methods: A total of 6 patients with heart failure were recruited. Think-aloud test, where participants were observed during play and sound and iPad screens were recorded, was conducted, followed by a questionnaire immediately after playing. Finally, an interview (n=6) was carried out. Qualitative data were analyzed in NVivo software (version 12.0).

    Results: In total, 6 patients with heart failure (83% male; mean age 66 years) participated in the think-aloud tests. One participant did not complete the game. The game duration was from 9 minutes and 14 seconds to 16 minutes and 13 seconds. Findings from the think-aloud tests were shown in themes: digital games are a new world; practice makes perfect; the Heart Game is illogical; tasks are not generalizable, in understandable formulations, or entertaining; and the Heart Game is relevant, fun, and entertaining to play.

    Conclusions: The usability of the Heart Game shows opportunities for digital patient education. However, there are some challenges in the prototype with illogical game structures in the board game. Further test and development of the prototype needs to be performed.

    iproc 2022;8(1):e41109

    doi:10.2196/41109

    Keywords

    telehealth; digital patient education; heart failure; game prototype 

    Conflicts of Interest

    None declared.

    Edited by T Leung; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 15.07.22; accepted 19.08.22; published 23.08.22

    Copyright

    ©Lisbeth Gade Hamborg, Rikke Jankuhn Petersen, Helle Spindler, Birthe Dinesen. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 23.08.2022.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.