Design, Development, and Usability Testing of Robin’s Nest Platform Supporting the SENSE Program for Addressing Moral Injury in Nurses and Social Workers
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges for nurses and social workers, exposing them to increased risks of stress, moral injury, and psychological disorders such as anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To address this critical need, with the generous funding support from the Government of Alberta, our interdisciplinary team of researchers in Nursing, Social Work, Electrical and Software Engineering, and Kinesiology initiated the design, development, and usability evaluation of the Robin’s Nest telehealth platform. This platform hosts the Supporting Emotional wellness in Nurses and Social workers E-mental health (SENSE) program and was developed using a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, co-designed with participants. This innovative e-health intervention integrates virtual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), stress monitoring using wearable technology, and real-time feedback to provide personalized mental health support. Usability evaluation, as a key element of the UCD approach, plays a pivotal role in assessing the platform's effectiveness. This research employs a multi-method usability evaluation approach, combining quantitative assessments using the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ), qualitative insights from focus group interviews, and Heuristic Testing. The findings demonstrate that the platform successfully meets users’ needs, achieving high usability scores and user satisfaction (median responses: 4 out of 5). Thematic analysis conducted during the usability evaluation highlights the platform’s effectiveness and high usability. Recommendations for improving usability, identified through this analysis, include enhancing communication features, resolving learning management system login issues, and refining the video conferencing interface design. This research underscores the importance of usability in e-health interventions and offers actionable insights for future advancements in digital mental health solutions.