Design and Evaluation of Mobile-Based Self-Care Application to Prevent Lumbar Disc Hernia for nurses

Abstract

Abstract

Background: One of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in the spine is lumbar disc hernia. This disorder is very common in nurses due to the harsh environment and working conditions.The aim of the present survey was to design and Evaluate Mobile-Based Self-Care Application inorder to Prevent Lumbar Disc Hernia for nurses. Methods: The method of this research, consists of 3 parts: needs assessment, designing and evaluation, The »Information Needs Assessment« questionnaire was completed by 10 experts and was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient (Alpha=0.930), »Self-assessment« test with Cronbach's alpha coefficient (Alpah=0.820) and »Knowledge Assessment« test with Cronbach's alpha coefficient (Alpah=0.944). An application with Kathleen's programming language was created under the Android operating system and was evaluated by 5 experts based on the »Nelson Usability« questionnaire. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software version 22. Results: Designed application capabilities included :1-Provide educational content in four areas of lumbar disc hernia, ergonomics, stress management and exercise2-Ability to record information in the health record and announce warnings about clinical features3-Ability to record BMI and announce the necessary warning to observe weight balance4- Possibility of holding exams for nurses, before using the self-care-application and after using it. The mean pre-test score of nurses before using the application was 11.05, while the average score of nurses after using it was equal to 15.55. Also, the value of t-test equals 0.613 and the level of significance is acceptable (s = 0.000). Conclusion: In this study, the use of a self-care application led to the improvement of knowledge. Therefore, it is recommended that a mobile-based self-care application that including knowledge, insigh, ability and educational content:such as (lumbar disc hernia, ergonomics, stress management and exercise);can help nurses acquire self-care skills in the prevention of lumbar disc hernia.