Mobile health and postoperative self-care following glaucoma, cataract, or corneal transplant surgeries.

BACKGROUND

Postoperative self-care is a critical determinant of treatment outcomes in ophthalmic patients. Recent advances in mobile health (mHealth) and the widespread adoption of smartphones have created new opportunities to enhance disease management and promote self-care.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to design and evaluate a mobile health application to support self-care among patients following glaucoma surgery, cataract extraction, and corneal transplantation.

METHODS

To determine the functional requirements of the mobile health application, a comprehensive literature review was conducted alongside a needs assessment involving patients who had undergone glaucoma surgery, cataract extraction, or corneal transplantation. Based on object-oriented analysis and design, a system blueprint was developed, and the application was implemented using the Java programming language. The usability and user satisfaction of the application were evaluated through a researcher-developed checklist, administered to both ophthalmic patients and ophthalmologists.

RESULTS

The evaluation results indicated a high level of user satisfaction regarding the user interface, services, overall functionality, and usability of the application. Based on the predefined scoring scale, the application received an overall score of 24.82, placing it within the "acceptable" category.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that this mobile health application can effectively support education and enhance postoperative self-care among patients undergoing glaucoma, cataract, and corneal transplant surgeries. Overall, the "INOOR" application, with its integrated features, demonstrates considerable potential to improve self-care practices and reduce the workload of healthcare providers.