Awardee Organization(s): University of Pittsburgh
Principal Investigator(s): Julie Faieta, PhD, MOT OTR/L
Official Project Title: Health App Review Tool: Connecting those Affected by Alzheimer’s to Needed Technology Support
AITC Partner: PennAITech
Website(s): https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/
The goal of this project is to connect those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) with effective apps using an intelligent decision-making aid, the Health App Review Tool (HART). The HART is comprised of a User Assessment and App Assessment, that together characterize the features of health apps relative to the needs, abilities, and preferences of individuals with ADRD and their informal caregivers. The HART assesses the goodness of match between user and app variables in order to guide app selection.
The first phase of this pilot project will be used to develop a web-base and app interface to house the HART. The dedicated interface is necessary in preparation for real-world and wide-spread use of the HART. There will be a user interface displaying the HART assessment questions, a back end that completes the scoring process, and a results display. In addition, we will establish a cloud-based library of app scores that can be downloaded and compared to new HART users in the future. The second phase of the project will be a usability study to gather feedback and insight on the HART interfaces for those impacted by ADRD.
The Health App Review Tool (HART) is expected facilitate clinicians, caregivers, and community organizations to select the best apps to meet the unique needs of individuals with ADRD and their caregivers. Improving access to person centered, easy to use technology guidance is intended to increase the impact and equity of app-mediated care.