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Development, implementation and initial feasibility testing of the MediEmo mobile application to provide support during medically assisted reproduction

Development, implementation and initial feasibility testing of the MediEmo mobile application to provide support during medically assisted reproduction
Development, implementation and initial feasibility testing of the MediEmo mobile application to provide support during medically assisted reproduction

STUDY QUESTION: Is it possible to develop a patient smartphone application for medically assisted reproduction (MAR) that is acceptable to patients and fertility staff? SUMMARY ANSWER: Staff and patients responded positively to the MediEmo smartphone application, perceiving it to be acceptable and feasible to implement in a busy clinic. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Digital tools are increasingly popular to provide practical, administrative and psychological support alongside medical treatments. Apps and other digital tools have been developed for use alongside MAR but there is very limited research on the development or acceptability and feasibility of these tools. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Mixed methods research. This article outlines the development phase of the MediEmo smartphone app, which was guided by the Medical Research Council development framework for complex interventions. The resulting MediEmo app was then implemented into a single centre for MAR in the UK, acceptability evaluated and feasibility explored among 1106 potential participants undertaking IVF cycles. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Consultation and data collection took part at a single mid-sized urban fertility clinic. Development of the MediEmo smartphone application took place during 2013 to 2017. Implementation of the MediEmo took place from June 2017 to September 2020. The MediEmo app comprises three functions (six features) namely medication management (medication timeline, messaging), mood management (emotional tracking, coping support) and functional support (frequently asked questions, symptom checker). Data on age, fertility diagnosis, anti-Müllerian hormone level were collected about the users of the MediEmo in addition to MediEmo usage data and attitudes towards the MediEmo smartphone application. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Informed by the developmental process described, MediEmo is an app combining patient medication diary management and ease of integration into clinic systems with emotional support, emotional tracking and data capture. This study demonstrates acceptability and feasibility of MediEmo, with good uptake (79.8%), mood data sensitivity and reliability and positive feedback. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Single centre, small number of users in questionnaire studies. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The findings suggest smartphone apps can contribute to fertility care and that patient engagement is high. Evaluation of any apps introduced into clinical pathways should be encouraged to promote development of the most useful digital tools for fertility patients. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector. Outside of the submitted work, J.B. reports personal speaker fees from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Merck AB an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany, Theramex, MedThink China, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, grant from Merck Serono Ltd, outside the submitted work and that she is co-developer of Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) and MediEmo app; N.M and C.Y are minority shareholders and J.B.'s University (Cardiff University) owns one third of shares. None of the shareholders benefitted financially from MediEmo. I.R., C.H. and K.Y.B.N. declare no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

IVF mobile phone application, MediEmo, digital technology, mHealth intervention, medical support, psychological support
1460-2350
1007-1017
Robertson, Isla F
b4e0c5be-ff75-4f0b-b519-9083b2c698a2
Harrison, China
96f0355b-2bb0-40b0-a758-f8d088ec3fb4
Ng, Ka Ying Bonnie
869b3b2d-dd7c-407d-88aa-5db399e02b3a
Macklon, Nick
d08e4844-96cf-4333-aa84-aec9b8febb42
Cheong, Ying
4efbba2a-3036-4dce-82f1-8b4017952c83
Boivin, Jacky
635abacc-1b16-4280-ba4b-9ec691d9094a
Robertson, Isla F
b4e0c5be-ff75-4f0b-b519-9083b2c698a2
Harrison, China
96f0355b-2bb0-40b0-a758-f8d088ec3fb4
Ng, Ka Ying Bonnie
869b3b2d-dd7c-407d-88aa-5db399e02b3a
Macklon, Nick
d08e4844-96cf-4333-aa84-aec9b8febb42
Cheong, Ying
4efbba2a-3036-4dce-82f1-8b4017952c83
Boivin, Jacky
635abacc-1b16-4280-ba4b-9ec691d9094a

Robertson, Isla F, Harrison, China, Ng, Ka Ying Bonnie, Macklon, Nick, Cheong, Ying and Boivin, Jacky (2022) Development, implementation and initial feasibility testing of the MediEmo mobile application to provide support during medically assisted reproduction. Human Reproduction, 37 (5), 1007-1017. (doi:10.1093/humrep/deac046).

Record type: Article

Abstract

STUDY QUESTION: Is it possible to develop a patient smartphone application for medically assisted reproduction (MAR) that is acceptable to patients and fertility staff? SUMMARY ANSWER: Staff and patients responded positively to the MediEmo smartphone application, perceiving it to be acceptable and feasible to implement in a busy clinic. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Digital tools are increasingly popular to provide practical, administrative and psychological support alongside medical treatments. Apps and other digital tools have been developed for use alongside MAR but there is very limited research on the development or acceptability and feasibility of these tools. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Mixed methods research. This article outlines the development phase of the MediEmo smartphone app, which was guided by the Medical Research Council development framework for complex interventions. The resulting MediEmo app was then implemented into a single centre for MAR in the UK, acceptability evaluated and feasibility explored among 1106 potential participants undertaking IVF cycles. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Consultation and data collection took part at a single mid-sized urban fertility clinic. Development of the MediEmo smartphone application took place during 2013 to 2017. Implementation of the MediEmo took place from June 2017 to September 2020. The MediEmo app comprises three functions (six features) namely medication management (medication timeline, messaging), mood management (emotional tracking, coping support) and functional support (frequently asked questions, symptom checker). Data on age, fertility diagnosis, anti-Müllerian hormone level were collected about the users of the MediEmo in addition to MediEmo usage data and attitudes towards the MediEmo smartphone application. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Informed by the developmental process described, MediEmo is an app combining patient medication diary management and ease of integration into clinic systems with emotional support, emotional tracking and data capture. This study demonstrates acceptability and feasibility of MediEmo, with good uptake (79.8%), mood data sensitivity and reliability and positive feedback. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Single centre, small number of users in questionnaire studies. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The findings suggest smartphone apps can contribute to fertility care and that patient engagement is high. Evaluation of any apps introduced into clinical pathways should be encouraged to promote development of the most useful digital tools for fertility patients. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector. Outside of the submitted work, J.B. reports personal speaker fees from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Merck AB an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany, Theramex, MedThink China, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, grant from Merck Serono Ltd, outside the submitted work and that she is co-developer of Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) and MediEmo app; N.M and C.Y are minority shareholders and J.B.'s University (Cardiff University) owns one third of shares. None of the shareholders benefitted financially from MediEmo. I.R., C.H. and K.Y.B.N. declare no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 25 January 2022
Published date: 1 May 2022
Additional Information: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Keywords: IVF mobile phone application, MediEmo, digital technology, mHealth intervention, medical support, psychological support

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 455250
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/455250
ISSN: 1460-2350
PURE UUID: 52871493-532f-4020-8fa7-ad03409a7565
ORCID for Ying Cheong: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7687-4597

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Date deposited: 15 Mar 2022 18:04
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:09

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Contributors

Author: Isla F Robertson
Author: China Harrison
Author: Ka Ying Bonnie Ng
Author: Nick Macklon
Author: Ying Cheong ORCID iD
Author: Jacky Boivin

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