Development of a Mobile App Game for Practicing Lung Exercises: Feasibility Study

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Abstract

Background

Chest injuries are a leading cause of death and disability, accounting for 10% of hospital admissions and 25% of injury-related deaths. About two-thirds of patients with thoracic injuries experience complications such as blood or air in the pleural space, causing lung deflation and poor gas exchange. Proper breathing management, using tools like incentive spirometers, improves lung function and recovery. However, there is a gap in mobile-based gaming apps designed for lung exercise, which could benefit both the general population and patients recovering from lung injuries.

Objective

This research aimed to develop and evaluate a mobile app game for practicing lung exercises, accompanied by a prototype device called the Pulmo device.

Methods

The study involved a sample group of 110 participants from the general public. It followed a research and development methodology comprising 4 steps. The research instruments included a mobile app game, a prototype lung exercise device, and questionnaires to assess users’ satisfaction and the feasibility of both the app and the device.

Results

The findings revealed that the participants demonstrated a high level of overall satisfaction with both the mobile app game and the prototype lung exercise device (mean 4.4, SD 0.4). The feasibility for the mobile app game and the prototype lung exercise device connected to the game was evaluated. The results indicated that the sample group perceived the overall feasibility to be at a high level (mean 4.4, SD 0.5).

Conclusions

The research results reflected that the sample group believed the mobile app game for practicing lung exercises and the prototype device developed in this project have a high potential for practical application in promoting lung rehabilitation through gameplay. The mobile app game and the Pulmo device prototype received positive user feedback, indicating potential practical use; however, further validation is required among patients in need of pulmonary rehabilitation.

Related collections

Most cited references 18

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Management of chest trauma

Corinna Ludwig, Aris Koryllos (2017)

Trauma is the leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 2/3 of the patients have a chest trauma with varying severity from a simple rib fracture to penetrating injury of the heart or tracheobronchial disruption. Blunt chest trauma is most common with 90% incidence, of which less than 10% require surgical intervention of any kind. Mortality is second highest after head injury, which underlines the importance of initial management. Many of these deaths can be prevented by prompt diagnosis and treatment. What is the role of the thoracic surgeon in the management of chest trauma in severely injured patients? When should the thoracic surgeon be involved? Is there a place for minimal invasive surgery in the management of severely injured patients? With two case reports we would like to demonstrate how the very specific knowledge of thoracic surgeons could help in the care of trauma patients.

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Evaluating mobile apps for breathing training: The effectiveness of visualization

Riccardo Sioni, Luca Chittaro (2014)

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Is Open Access

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Mindfulness Meditation Intervention Among Women: Intervention Study

Ariane Lisann Rung, Evrim Oral, Lara Berghammer … (2020)

Background Traditional mindfulness-based stress reduction programs are resource intensive for providers and time- and cost-intensive for participants, but the use of mobile technologies may be particularly convenient and cost-effective for populations that are busy, less affluent, or geographically distant from skilled providers. Women in southern Louisiana live in a vulnerable, disaster-prone region and are highly stressed, making a mobile program particularly suited to this population. Objective This study aimed to (1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile mindfulness app in real-world conditions in a pilot study of a community sample of women residing in southern Louisiana, (2) describe predictors of app usage, and (3) assess the effect of the app on secondary health outcomes. Methods Women were recruited from an oil spill study on health. A total of 236 women completed a baseline survey, were offered the mobile mindfulness program, and completed a follow-up survey. Subjects were asked to download and use the app for at least 30 days for 10 min. All study procedures were completed on the web. Primary outcomes were feasibility and acceptability of the app and characteristics of app utilization. Secondary outcomes included mindfulness, depression, perceived stress, sleep quality, physical activity, BMI, and healthy eating. Results Overall, 74.2% (236/318) of subjects completed the follow-up survey, and 13.5% (43/318) used the app. The main barrier to app usage was lack of time, cited by 37% (16/43) of users and 48.7% (94/193) of nonusers of the app. Women who chose to use the app were more highly educated (16/43, 63% had a college education vs 65/193, 33.7% of nonparticipants; P US $50,000 per year vs 77/193, 43.0% of nonparticipants), and were employed (34/43, 79% vs 122/193, 63.2% of nonparticipants; P=.047). Those who engaged with the app did so at high levels, with 72% (31/43) of participants self-reporting the completion of some or all sessions and 74% (32/43) reporting high levels of satisfaction with the app. Participation with the app had a beneficial impact on depression (odds ratio [OR] 0.3, 95% CI 0.11-0.81), sleep quality (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.02-0.96), sleep duration (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.07-0.86), sleep latency (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.11-0.81), and physical activity (2.8 95% CI 1.0-7.8), but mindfulness scores did not change from baseline to follow-up. Conclusions The Headspace mobile mindfulness app was easy and cost-effective to implement and acceptable to those who participated, but few women elected to try it. The unique characteristics of this southern Louisiana population suggest that more intense promotion of the benefits of mindfulness training is needed, perhaps in conjunction with some therapist or researcher support. Several short-term benefits of the app were identified, particularly for depression and sleep.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Chatkhane Pearkao:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0394-3007

Korakot Apiratwarakul:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1984-0865

Lerkiat Wicharit:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0009-0000-3053-7798

Wiphawadee Potisopha:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3370-6897

Arunnee Jaitieng:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-1311

Sukuman Homvisetvongsa:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0009-0002-8788-228X

Puthachad Namwaing:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3468

Peerapon Pudtuan:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0009-0002-3211-3280

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol

Journal ID (hwp): JRAT

Journal ID (publisher-id): rehab

Journal ID (index): 17

Title: JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies

Publisher: JMIR Publications (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Electronic): 2369-2529

Publication date Collection: 2025

Publication date (Electronic): 4 March 2025

Volume: 12

Electronic Location Identifier: e63512

Affiliations

[1 ]departmentDepartment of Adult Nursing, Faculty of Nursing , Khon Kaen University , Khon Kaen, Thailand

[2 ]departmentDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine , Khon Kaen University , Khon Kaen, Thailand

[3 ]departmentDepartment of Community Health Nursing and Primary Medical Care Nursing, Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing , Praboromarajchanok Institute, Ministry of Public Health , 177 Chang Phueak Road, Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand, 66 4424 3020, 66 4424 7122

[4 ]departmentDeparment of Family and Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing , Khon Kaen University , Khon Kaen, Thailand

[5 ]departmentDepartment of Physical Therapy , Khon Kaen Hospital , Khon Kaen, Thailand

Author notes

LerkiatWicharitMNS, Department of Community Health Nursing and Primary Medical Care Nursing, Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Praboromarajchanok Institute, Ministry of Public Health, 177 Chang Phueak Road, Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand, 66 4424 3020, 66 4424 7122; lerkiat@ 123456knc.ac.th

None declared.

Author information

Chatkhane Pearkao http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0394-3007

Korakot Apiratwarakul http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1984-0865

Lerkiat Wicharit http://orcid.org/0009-0000-3053-7798

Wiphawadee Potisopha http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3370-6897

Arunnee Jaitieng http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-1311

Sukuman Homvisetvongsa http://orcid.org/0009-0002-8788-228X

Puthachad Namwaing http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3468

Peerapon Pudtuan http://orcid.org/0009-0002-3211-3280

Article

Publisher ID: 63512

DOI: 10.2196/63512

PMC ID: 11895720

PubMed ID: 40035777

SO-VID: d3a7b51e-5d0a-4385-9557-c01861874e78

Copyright © Copyright © Chatkhane Pearkao, Korakot Apiratwarakul, Lerkiat Wicharit, Wiphawadee Potisopha, Arunnee Jaitieng, Sukuman Homvisetvongsa, Puthachad Namwaing, Peerapon Pudtuan. Originally published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (https://rehab.jmir.org)

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://rehab.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 22 June 2024

Date revision received : 26 January 2025

Date accepted : 27 January 2025

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