Usability evaluation of a multidisciplinary mobile application for the education and management of pre and postoperative bariatric surgery patients

Objective: To assess the usability of a mobile application prototype for educating and managing individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods: An exploratory quantitative study was conducted at a public outpatient obesity referral center in Brazil. Pre- and postoperative bariatric surgery patients were invited to use of an app for one hour, and its usability was assessed through the System Usability Scale (SUS). Results: Of the 31 participants, 84.0% were women, with a mean age of 42.2 (±12.4) years. Most participants (97.0%) had high or primary school education levels. Of the total sample, 12 (38.8%) were preoperative and 19 (61.2%) postoperative. The mean overall usability score for the app was 75.5 (SD 11.0). Participants rated usability as “Good” (34.2%), “Excellent” (51.4%), and “Best Achievable” (14.4%). No significant difference in usability scores was found across different educational backgrounds (p 0.654) and income levels (p 0.088), except for a statistically significant difference between younger and older adults (p 0.014). Conclusion: The app was considered useful by obese patients as a tool for learning and helping navigate bariatric care.