Tailored information technology in healthcare

Abstract

After a Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), post-discharge contact moments with care providers may be scarce. Online resources may offer support, but Human Factors Engineering methods are needed to tailor these resources to patients’ varying post-surgery information needs. In order to evaluate tailored components in a web application and to refine guidelines for tailored Information Technology (IT) in healthcare, the authors developed a tailored web application for THA patients. The web application informs THA patients about recommended activity levels in the first months after surgery using individualized thresholds based on daily step counts. The feedback given by the application is designed in three variants that match characteristics from three different THA patient subgroups (profiles) defined in previous research. To investigate the use and evaluation of this application, a small-scale qualitative study (20 patients, 3 care providers) will be conducted. Results will include qualitative feedback from patients and care providers, as well as metrics describing participants’ use of the application. This paper discusses the study methodology, including the application used.