What Is Being Used and Who Is Using It: Barriers to the Adoption of Smartphone Patient Experience Surveys

BACKGROUND: Smartphones are positioned to transform the way health care services gather patient experience data through advanced mobile survey apps which we refer to as smart surveys. In comparison with traditional methods of survey data capture, smartphone sensing survey apps have the capacity to elicit multidimensional, in situ user experience data in real time with unprecedented detail, responsiveness, and accuracy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the context and circumstances under which patients are willing to use their smartphones to share data on their service experiences. METHODS: We conducted in-person, semistructured interviews (N=24) with smartphone owners to capture their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward smart surveys. RESULTS: Analysis examining perceived risk revealed a few barriers to use; however, major potential barriers to adoption were the identity of recipients, reliability of the communication channel, and potential for loss of agency. The results demonstrate that the classical dimensions of perceived risk raised minimal concerns for the use of smartphones to collect patient service experience feedback. However, trust in the doctor-patient relationship, the reliability of the communication channel, the altruistic motivation to contribute to health service quality for others, and the risk of losing information agency were identified as determinants in the patients’ adoption of smart surveys. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these findings, we provide recommendations for the design of smart surveys in practice and suggest a need for privacy design tools for voluntary, health-related technologies.