Background/Purpose:

A Resident’s Guide to Pediatric Rheumatology (the Guide) is currently used by trainees as an on-the-go learning and teaching resource. Research using the Technology Acceptance Model showed that the concept of developing the Guide into a mobile application (app) was well supported, with the addition of features to facilitate its use, i.e. searchable index, definitions of key terms, clinical photographs and radiology images. Graham’s Knowledge-To-Action Framework was used to conduct the needs assessment to underpin the development work.

Objective: (1)To determine perceived enablers and barriers to using the Guide app; (2)To explore perceived uses for the Guide app and (3)To explore the preferred format, features, and functions of the Guide app. 

Methods:

Pediatric residents, rheumatology fellows, and rheumatology staff in both academic and community settings were interviewed in 7 separate focus groups.  Focus groups were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive analytical approaches to identify themes. 

Results:

medication choices and aid with work-up when no pediatric rheumatologist was available at their center. Residents suggested that they would rather use the app as an on-the-go learning tool and continue with PDF or hard copy on a computer or tablet for more in-depth learning. The guide is used less as a teaching tool than initially thought: fellows and staff used different methods to teach. All groups used the medication section of the Guide regularly. 

Users preferred the format of the Guide mobile app to have pictures, easy searchability, mnemonics and clinical pearls, radiographic images, videos endorsed by the section editors, links to references, and treatment algorithms.  Tools that ease documentation were not necessary to promote use due to concerns regarding linking to EMR and confidentiality. Games were not a consistently desired feature of the app. 

Conclusion:

Creating an easy to use Resident Guide mobile application, with interactive features, concise information, and well-indexed content will yield the most use from the app. Both fellows and staff would be more inclined to use the app as an interactive teaching tool if pictures and cases were available. Results from this needs assessment will be used to convert the sample electronic guide to a functional mobile app prototype.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/residents-guide-to-pediatric-rheumatology-mobile-app-assessing-enablers-and-barriers-of-use-through-qualitative-focus-groups/