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Continuous user experience monitoring of a patient-completed preoperative assessment system: Usability evaluation and impact on completion times (Preprint)


 BACKGROUND
 Preoperative assessment reduces the risk of poor perioperative outcome and reduces cost of a specific group of perioperative candidates. The implementation of a preoperative digital tool may help to improve guideline adherence. MyPreOp®(Ultramed Ltd, Penryn, UK) is a web-based questionnaire designed to replace paper-based preoperative assessments.
 
 
 OBJECTIVE
 The study aimed to assess the user experience of MyPreOp®, investigate the factors affecting completion times, and devise a method of administering a validated usability scale without negatively affecting completion times.
 
 
 METHODS
 Anonymised datasets were extracted from the MyPreOp® system. The data collected included age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiology physical classification status, and time taken to complete the assessment. Two user experience evaluations were used: In Phase 1, two questions asking about overall experience and ease of use; and in Phase 2, a previously validated usability questionnaire, with its 20 questions equally distributed among five succeeding patient cohorts. There were 2593 respondents in total (Phase 1: n=1193; Phase 2: n=1400).
 
 
 RESULTS
 MyPreOp®scored well in both phases. In Phase 1, 80% of respondents had a good or better experience and 90% found it easy to use. The usability rating in Phase 2 was 4.13 (out of a maximum of 5) indicating high usability. Average completion time was 46.95 minutes (sd=25.83). The implementation of the longer usability evaluation scale in Phase 2 did not negatively impact completion times. Age and physical status were found to influence completion times but strength of the correlation was only moderate.
 
 
 CONCLUSIONS
 MyPreOp® rates high in both user experience and usability. The method of dividing the questionnaire into five blocks is both valid and does not negatively affect completion times. Further research into the factors affecting completion time is recommended.
