Creating a digital memory notebook application for individuals with mild cognitive impairment to support everyday functioning.
Nisha Raghunath, Jessamyn Dahmen, Katelyn Brown and 2 others
PMID 30907223WHAT IT FOUND
People with memory impairment and caregivers completed adding and navigating tasks faster across four iPad usability tests and rated the app more favourably.
The result is better usability, not proof it improves daily memory.
Key findings
01By the fifth iteration, adding tasks took 145 seconds versus 672 seconds in Iteration 2, and navigating the interface took 22 seconds versus 74 seconds.
02User satisfaction rose from 6.73 to 7.93 out of 9.00, and usability scores improved from 2.82 to 2.04, where lower scores are better.
03Participants with MCI in Iteration 4 and 5 expressed interest in using the app, and all participants in Iteration 5 replied yes or yes probably.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only five participants were tested in each iteration, so small differences between iterations may be unstable. The study did not include a control group or compare the app with paper memory notebooks or other apps. Testing was in a laboratory with an experimenter present, which may have affected how participants rated the app. The study reported task time, satisfaction, usability and interest, not clinical memory or function. Participants received a brief tour rather than a full training programme, so the results do not show how patients learn to use the app over time. The sample included caregivers and people with TBI as well as people with MCI, so ratings may not reflect the target MCI group alone. Iteration 4 was rated worse than Iteration 3, and the authors suggest participant mood or composition may have affected it. The app was rebuilt after Iteration 5 into a sixth iteration that was not tested in this study. The participants were highly educated, which may not represent people with MCI who use memory aids in routine care.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read faster task completion and high satisfaction as proof the app improves everyday memory or independence. It was tested in a laboratory with five participants per iteration and did not measure clinical memory or function.