User Evaluation of a Smartphone Application for Anticoagulation Therapy.

Abstract

Anticoagulation therapy with Warfarin is used for specific cardiovascular diseases to control the ability of blood clotting. Traditional ways of self-management therapy are based on paper forms and procedures. This paper presents an evaluation of the smartphone application Warfarin Guide, a computer-assisted decision-support system used to help patients in their management of anticoagulation therapy related to International Normalized Ratio (INR) values. The evaluation consisted of a usability test with 4 participants and a field test with 14 participants who used the application at home during four months. A mixed methods research approach included quantitative and qualitative analysis of the test results. The results showed that participants evaluated the Warfarin Guide as ‘useful’ for self-management of anticoagulation therapy, reporting key issues for further improvement.