TY  - JOUR
AU  - Grube, Lara
AU  - Petit, Pascal
AU  - Vuillerme, Nicolas
AU  - Nitschke, Marlies
AU  - Nwosu, Obioma Bertrand
AU  - Knitza, Johannes
AU  - Krusche, Martin
AU  - Seifer, Ann-Kristin
AU  - Eskofier, Bjoern M
AU  - Schett, Georg
AU  - Morf, Harriet
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/9/19
TI  - Complementary App-Based Yoga Home Exercise Therapy for Patients With Axial Spondyloarthritis: Usability Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e57185
VL  - 8
KW  - DTx
KW  - DHA
KW  - usability
KW  - Yoga
KW  - YogiTherapy
KW  - ankylosing spondylitis
KW  - axial spondylarthritis
KW  - digital health application
KW  - eHealth
KW  - self-assessment
KW  - physical exercise
KW  - patient acceptance
KW  - therapy
KW  - home exercise
KW  - exercise
KW  - patients
KW  - patient
KW  - spondyloarthritis
KW  - usability study
KW  - app
KW  - apps
KW  - rheumatic disease
KW  - chronic
KW  - spine
KW  - adjacent joints
KW  - joints
KW  - joint
KW  - correlation analysis
KW  - digital therapeutics
AB  - Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by potentially disabling inflammation of the spine and adjacent joints. Regular exercise is a cornerstone of treatment. However, patients with AS currently have little support. YogiTherapy (MaD Lab) is an app developed to support patients with AS by providing instructions for yoga-based home exercise therapy. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the usability and acceptance of the newly designed YogiTherapy app for patients with AS. Methods: Patients completed the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) and net promoter score (NPS) questionnaires after the app introduction. Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney rank sum test, chi-square test for count data, and correlation analysis were conducted to examine the usability of the app, acceptance, and patient characteristics. Results: A total of 65 patients with AS (33, 51% female; age: mean 43.3, SD 13.6 years) were included in the study from May 2022 to June 2023. Subsequently, the data were analyzed. Usability was rated moderate, with a mean uMARS of 3.35 (SD 0.47) points on a scale from 0 to 5. The highest-rated uMARS dimension was information (mean 3.88, SD 0.63), followed by functionality (mean 3.84, SD 0.87). Females reported a significantly higher uMARS total score than males (mean 3.47, SD 0.48 vs mean 3.23, SD 0.45; P=.03, Vargha and Delaney A [VDA] 0.66, 95% CI 0.53-0.77). The mean average of the NPS was 6.23 (SD 2.64) points (on a scale from 0 to 10), based on 43% (26/65 nonpromoters, 42% (25/65) indifferent, and 15% (9/65) promoters. A total of 7% (5/65) of those surveyed did not answer the question. When applying the NPS formula, the result is –26%. The NPS showed a positive correlation with the usage of mobile apps (r=0.39; P=.02). uMARS functionality was significantly higher rated by patients younger than 41 years (mean 4.17, SD 0.55 vs mean 3.54, SD 1; P<.001; VDA 0.69, 95% CI 0.56-0.80). Patients considering mobile apps as useful reported higher uMARS (r=0.38, P=.02). The uMARS app quality mean score was correlated with the frequency of using apps (r=–0.21, P<.001). Conclusions: The results revealed moderate acceptance and usability ratings, prompting further app improvement. Significant differences were observed between age and gender. Our results emphasize the need for further improvements in YogiTherapy. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e57185
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/57185
DO  - 10.2196/57185
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/57185
ER  -