Feasibility of an iPad application for studying menopause-related symptom clusters and women’s heuristics

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate feasibility, including usability and utility, of the Computerized Symptom Capture Tool for Menopause (C-SCAT-M), a symptom heuristics application (app) for the iPad, with midlife women.

Methods: Thirty midlife women aged 40–60 and experiencing symptoms they associated with menopause were recruited through flyers posted on a university campus, primary care and women’s health clinics. The C-SCAT-M guided participants to identify symptoms they experienced, draw temporal and causal relationships between symptoms and identify symptom clusters. Women were encouraged to think aloud as they encountered questions or problems and their comments were audio recorded. After completing the C-SCAT-M, they completed a 22-item acceptability survey and a demographic survey. Data were downloaded from catalyst website and analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Women completed the C-SCAT-M with minimal difficulty, with most indicating that using the app was very/extremely easy and most (57%) preferred using the iPad app to paper. Most women stated that the final diagrams were very/extremely accurate depictions of their symptom clusters and relationships (77%).

Conclusion: The C-SCAT-M demonstrated initial feasibility, including usability and utility, for collecting data about symptom clusters experienced by midlife women.

• Mobile health application, symptoms, women’s health

FUNDING

This study was funded by University of Washington School of Nursing, Research Intramural Funding Program, and R21 (NINR 1R21NR012218-01 Menopause Symptoms Clusters: Refocusing Therapeutics).