Development and Effectiveness Testing of “Punsook”: A Smartphone Application for Intermittent Urinary Catheter Users with Spinal Cord Injury

Objective: To develop and evaluate effectiveness of a smartphone application to assist the self-management of intermittent urinary catheter users Methods: This is experimental clinical research as part of a medical device trial. In phase 1, 10 intermittent urinary catheter users were recruited from spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who had been admitted to a rehabilitation ward at Siriraj Hospital. They used the preliminary version of “Punsook”, a web-based application (app) for a smartphone, alongside usual intermittent urinary catheterization (IC), and gave feedback on their experiences. Their qualitative opinions were used to further develop a second version of the “Punsook” app. In phase 2, the new version was used by 35 participants, who were asked to complete an effectiveness questionaire after using the app, including providing details on their history of urinary tract infection (UTI), urinary leakage, and catheterization-related pain. This information was gathered at the end of first and third months in the second phase of the study. Results: More than half the participants agreed at the end of the first month that every part of the app was acceptably pleasant. They liked the simplicity and ease of use of the app, accessibility, ease of return to use, and interest in the program. No statistically significant changes in urinary leakage, UTI, or pain were found. Conclusion: The app was considered effective in terms of the positive user satisfaction with all aspects of the app. However, despite this positive reception, the app may not have contributed to an improvement in participant bladder control.