Translation and Validation of the System Usability Scale in a Danish Mental Health Setting Using Digital Technologies in Treatment Interventions

ABSTRACT

The use of technology in the treatment of mental health problems is increasing. The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a widely used standardized questionnaire for assessment of perceived usability of technology. European translations and validations have been conducted, but none in Danish. The aims of this study were to translate the scale into Danish (SUS-DK) and examine the psychometric properties in a mental health sample using digital technologies in treatment interventions.

We included 138 participants from a Danish mental health service using computer programs, video consultations, apps and virtual reality. The original SUS was translated according to the recommendations by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). The linguistic adaptation led to a conceptual equivalent Danish version of SUS and the psychometric evaluation found high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87). The SUS-DK is recommended for measuring perceived usability of technology in a Danish treatment context.

Authors’ contributions

Julie Christine S. Hvidt: Concept and design, data collection, analysis and presentation of data, statistical analysis, writing manuscript, proofreading.

Lone Fisker Christensen: Concept and design, data collection, analysis and presentation of data, writing manuscript.

Christian Sibbersen: Analysis and presentation of data, statistical analysis.

Stig Helweg-Jørgensen: Concept and design, data collection, statistical analysis.

Jens Peter Hansen: Concept and design, analysis and presentation of data, study supervision.

Mia Beck Lichtenstein: Concept and design, data collection, analysis and presentation of data, statistical analysis, study supervision, proof reading.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

None disclosed for any of the authors.

Data available statement

Data is available by requesting the first author.

Additional information

Funding

The project has not received any funding

Notes on contributors

Julie Christine S. Hvidt

Julie Christine S. Hvidt, is a consultant in research and user testing at the Health Innovation Center of Southern Denmark, and affiliated in projects concerning the development, test and implementation of innovative and technological solutions for the healthcare sector.

Lone Fisker Christensen

Lone Fisker Christensen, is a PhD fellow at Research Unit for Telepsychiatry and E-mental Health, University of Southern Denmark and at the Research Unit, Department of Mental Health, Esbjerg, Region of Southern Denmark. She is PI on the ccVC project, where video consultations are used as a supplement in the course of treatment.

Christian Sibbersen

Christian Sibbersen, is a consultant in statistics and data analysis for psychiatric research in the Region of Southern Denmark.

Stig Helweg-Jørgensen

Stig Helweg-Jørgensen, is a clinical psychologist, and a PhD fellow at the Center for Telepsychiatry in the Region of Southern Denmark. He is PI on the mDiary study, which develops and trials a smartphone-based, self-monitoring system for patients with the diagnosis borderline personality disorder. In that study he leads groups collecting feedback on system usability and development.

Jens Peter Hansen

Jens Peter Hansen, is a postdoc and a research leader in the Region of Southern Denmark. He has conducted RCT-studies and is supervisor on e-mental health PhD studies.

Mia Beck Lichtenstein

Mia Beck Lichtenstein is associate professor in e-mental health at the Center for Telepsychiatry in the Region of Southern Denmark. She is conducting research on the use of digital interventions in mental health services. Furthermore, she has conducted several Danish validation studies on different assessment tools.