The Assessment Of The Usability Of The Vestibular Rehabilitation Application

Introduction

Vestibular rehabilitation is used for decreased vestibular function and dizziness. Adaptation exercises are one aspect of vestibular rehabilitation and are recommended in the treatment of these conditions. These exercises are predominantly paper-based which may lead to difficulty in progression of the exercises and monitoring of compliance.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the usability of an electronic tablet application; the Vestibular Rehabilitation Application (VRA) in patients with a complaint of dizziness who were undergoing vestibular rehabilitation.

The objectives of the study were to assess usability under three main headings of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction as recommended by the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) in 1998

Methods

A convenience sample (n=12) was recruited. Baseline assessments included age, Dynamic Visual Acuity Test, level of education, Dizziness Handicap Inventory, Visual Analogue Scale for dizziness and the length of time it took the participant to be trained up on the use of the tablet and VRA. The participant used the VRA for one week and then completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Systems Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI) along with a semi structured interview

Results

The length of time to train the participant, previous use of apps and age were the biggest predictors of usability. There were no correlations with usability and levels of dizziness. Participants noted decreased effectiveness and efficiency in their use of the app but would use the VRA in future rehabilitation.

Conclusions

This study suggests that training time, previous use of apps and age are the biggest predictors of usability.

Implications of Findings

The VRA was deemed as “usable” however there should be some changes to the app before further use in treatment.