Abstract
Objective
To describe the process of developing and evaluating a mobile application prototype to enable people with complex communication needs to call pre-hospital emergency services.
Methods
This methodological study was conducted in three stages: determining the target population’s functional requirements; developing and making available a prototype application for touchscreen mobile phones to request pre-hospital services; experts assessed the usability heuristics using a checklist, while the target population (people with complex communication needs) used the System Usability Scale. Descriptive statistics were performed, and the scores assigned to the application were analyzed.
Results
The application obtained high usability scores (mean=58.75) and 21 individuals from the target population reported an excellent user satisfaction index (mean=89.5), which allowed registering and applying for the prototype’s patent.
Conclusion
The prototype showed the ability to enable individuals with complex communication needs to access and request pre-hospital emergency services.
Smartphone; Cell phone; Wireless technology; e-Accessibility; User-centered design; Digital technology; Emergency relief; Triage; Health services needs and demand