Development and testing of usability of software application and report generation of functional assessment scale for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

• Grant number: 12/51097-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Fátima Aparecida Caromano
• Grantee: Fátima Aparecida Caromano
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Physical therapy is lacking in instruments that use technology to facilitate the evaluation process of patients with muscular dystrophy. The current practice of evaluation generally spends much time in the application of tests and this time is extended by recording data on long sheets, which make evolutionary or comparative analyzes. Objective: Develop and evaluate the usability of a software application and report generation Functional Assessment Scale for Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD-FES). Procedure: The software development will be basic.net visual language, with database SQL Server Compact platform, Windows XP sp3 or higher and is designed for machines that support the platform and screen with 1024X768 resolution and video format WMV/MP4. The technical evaluation of the software will be performed by five physiotherapists experts who answer an evaluation form with aspects of visualization, quality, ease of use, use in clinical practice and suggestions for improvement of the instrument. Based on the suggestions of experts and adjustments will be made later, a comparative study of time for completing and reporting on situations of manual registration and use of software. This experiment will use the record generated by filming an actor in order to avoid exposure of children. The range of usability of the software will be tested by the target population, consisting of two groups, group 1 comprised 15 physiotherapists with at least 3 years of clinical experience in Neuropediatrics, including children with muscular dystrophy, and group 2, will consist 15 newly trained physiotherapists. For analysis with the target population, the questionnaire will be given to aspects related to the acceptance of this technology, usability, ease and actual use, effectiveness of the tool as support material and aspects related to use in clinical practice. Expected results: Development of a software which reduces the time spent by the physiotherapist in data collection and reporting of comparative FES-DMD, demonstrating the acceptance of this technology and freely available software for health professionals. (AU)