Development and Evaluation of Usability and Perceived Usefulness of the BESIDE MOM mHealth Application for Mothers Caring for Preterm Infants: A Pilot Study
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Abstract
Objectives: To develop the BESIDE MOM web application to support preterm infant care and to conduct a pilot evaluation of its usability and perceived usefulness among healthcare professionals and mothers of preterm infants.
Materials and Methods: This pilot study involved the development of a web application informed by a comprehensive literature review and expert validation. The application was evaluated by 23 participants—10 mothers of preterm infants and 13 healthcare professionals—over a 7-day period. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering five domains: system usability, design, content, perceived usefulness, and user satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The application provided comprehensive features for education, health monitoring, and support functions, including 18 educational topics on preterm infant care, video-based maternal experiences, growth and developmental tracking, appointment reminders, chatbot support, frequently asked questions, and emergency contact information. It was accessible via mobile phones, tablets, and computers. Among mothers, 100% rated the domains of system usability, design and interface, content quality, perceived usefulness, and user satisfaction at a very high level. Among healthcare professionals, 76.9%–92.3% rated these domains at a very high level, with system usability receiving the highest ratings. All perceived usefulness items received positive ratings (scores 4–5) from both mothers and healthcare professionals.
Conclusion: Findings from this pilot study suggest that the BESIDE MOM web application demonstrated high usability, perceived usefulness, and user satisfaction among participating mothers of preterm infants and healthcare professionals. The application was perceived as supporting access to information related to preterm infant care. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these preliminary findings and evaluate the application’s effectiveness.
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