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Archivos Espanoles de Urologia Jan 2022Usefulness and Acceptability of a Smart pH Meter and Mobile Medical App as a Monitoring Tool in Patients with Urolithiasis: Short-term Prospective Study.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Usefulness and Acceptability of a Smart pH Meter and Mobile Medical App as a Monitoring Tool in Patients with Urolithiasis: Short-term Prospective Study.
OBJECTIVE
An accurate strategy for regularly measuring urine pH is the use of portable electronic pH meters. This study evaluated the usefulness and acceptability of the smart Lit-Control® pH Meter connected with a companion mobile medical application (myLit-Control(R) App) used by patients with urolithiasis for home monitoring of urine pH. We also examined adherence and compliance rates, and users´ satisfaction levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter, prospective study conducted in 10 centers from Spain. Adult patients with a history of urolithiasis were recruited and instructed to carry out a pH measurement with the pH meter three times per day for two weeks. User tasks included turning on the device, registration and on boarding processes in the App, sync the device and the App, and data dumping. At the end of the trial, we evaluated the level of adherence and usage compliance. Participants' perceptions about the usefulness, acceptability, and satisfaction with the device/App were collected through the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) and subjective surveys. RESULTS: Participants were 27 men and 10 women. The mean age of participants was 48.7 (SD = 10.4) years, ranging from 25 to 66. The predominant type of stone was calcium oxalate. The mean pH of all readings was 5.83 (SD = 0.41). Seventy-three (73%) patients met the "good adherence" criterion (not being more than 2 days without recording any pH value). The compliance (actual vs. theoretical readings) was 87.6%. Participants rated the usability of the App 5.4 and above (on a 7-point scale) in all the items of CSUQ. Satisfaction was high, as indicated by the mean score of 6.0 in item 16. In the subjective questionnaire (0 to 3 scale), nearly all mean values were above 2. Patients scored their probability to recommend the App with an average of 8.2 on a 0 to 10 scale.
CONCLUSION
The new smart Lit-Control® pH Meter and the accompanying medical App were deemed useful and acceptable by urolithiasis patients as a portable tool for urine pH monitoring at home. The usage compliance rates were high and the satisfaction with the products was good.
Topics: Adult; Calcium Oxalate; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Male; Middle Aged; Mobile Applications; Prospective Studies; Urolithiasis
PubMed: 35173078
DOI: No ID Found -
Archivos Espanoles de Urologia Sep 2021Portable pH meters are robust and reliable tools for measuring urinary pH bypatients at home. This study evaluated the usability of a prototype smart Lit-Control® pH...
OBJECTIVES
Portable pH meters are robust and reliable tools for measuring urinary pH bypatients at home. This study evaluated the usability of a prototype smart Lit-Control® pH Meter and an associated mobile medical app, with the aim of identifying possible design and functionality issues along with usability problems among non-expert voluntary users.
MATHERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-one individuals of both genders, between 26 and 61 years old, tested the dyad pH meter/app for 14 days (three readings per day). The participants were asked to carry out a sequence of use of the system equivalent to what an intended user would do for urinary pH self-monitoring. At the end of the trial period, each participant filled out study questionnaires regarding the learning times, i.e. the time used by a new user to perform a task with the technology, usability, errors detected, and suggestions for improvement. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 35.4 (range, 26 to 61) years. The readings from the pH meter yielded average values of 5.72 (SD = 0.26), 6.13 (SD= 0.43), and 5.47 (SD = 1.27) for the morning, evening, and night micturitions, respectively. The time of the day with greater adherence was the morning (49.7% of all readings). The learning times were in general short as reported by the participants: 73.7% were able to register in the App, rated as the least easy task, in less than two and a half minutes. The task of uploading the pH readings, both manually and automatically, was mostly performed in less than 35 seconds.
CONCLUSION
This pilot study of real-world usage pattern shows that the dyad smart Lit-Control pH meter/Appwas perceived as fit for purpose by non-expert volunteers and had no relevant functionality or usability issues that would pose a significant barrier to the intended users. New studies are ongoing in order to test the usability by patients with lithiasis history.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Male; Middle Aged; Mobile Applications; Pilot Projects; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34472438
DOI: No ID Found -
Veterinary Clinical Pathology Jun 2018Urine pH is an integral part of a complete urinalysis, and is commonly measured in veterinary practice using semiquantitative reagent strips. (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Urine pH is an integral part of a complete urinalysis, and is commonly measured in veterinary practice using semiquantitative reagent strips.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the urine pH of dogs and sheep, using visual interpretation of dipstick reactions, and using a pH-meter as the reference method. Agreement between the 2 methods was also assessed. An additional objective was to compare the urine pH before and after centrifugation.
METHODS
A total of 50 voided urine samples from sheep and 52 from dogs were collected into sterile containers. For pH measurements, 2 methods were used, a pH-meter and urine dipstick reagent pads. Measurements were performed using urine samples before (whole urine) and after centrifugation (urine supernatant). For comparison of the 2 methods, Passing and Bablok regression analysis and Bland-Altman plots were used.
RESULTS
The equation created to assess agreement between the 2 methods in dogs showed a constant bias at -0.14 and a positive proportional bias at 0.98. From a clinical standpoint, total bias was below and above the maximum acceptable bias in sheep and dogs, respectively. Clinically acceptable bias was also found using centrifuged urine samples in sheep, but the urine pH values before and after centrifugation were nearly identical in dogs.
CONCLUSION
Urine dipstick reagent pads and pH-meters can be used interchangeably to determine urine pH in sheep without needing centrifugation. In contrast, pH-meters provide more accurate pH measurements than urine dipstick pads in canine urine, which is not improved by centrifugation.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Reagent Strips; Sheep; Urinalysis
PubMed: 29406602
DOI: 10.1111/vcp.12581 -
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology... Jun 2021The aim of the study was to determine the extent of agreement between pH paper and handheld pH meter with a laboratory pH meter for gastric pH measurement in children... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to determine the extent of agreement between pH paper and handheld pH meter with a laboratory pH meter for gastric pH measurement in children with neurologic impairments and gastrostomy tubes who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
METHODS
In this prospective observational study, gastric contents were aspirated from gastric or nasogastric tubes and the pH measured using 3 techniques: pH paper, handheld pH meter, and laboratory pH meter (the gold standard). Agreement between techniques was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman analysis, and kappa statistic.
RESULTS
Among 43 patients contributing 67 gastric samples, the ICC was 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.97) between the handheld and laboratory meters, 0.69 (95% CI: 0.63--0.94) between the pH paper and laboratory meter and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.63-0.94) between the handheld meter and paper. The Bland-Altman analysis between the handheld and lab meters showed a mean difference of -0.03 pH units (limits of agreement: -0.52 to 0.47 pH units) and 0.17 pH units (limits of agreement: -0.99 to 1.33 pH units) between the paper and lab meter. The kappa coefficients for a pH ≥4 were 1.0 (95% CI: 1.0--1.0) between the handheld and lab meters and 0.9 (95% CI: 0.77--1.0) between the paper and lab meter.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that both point-of-care tests, the pH meter and pH paper, correlate well with the gold standard for testing pH with a laboratory pH meter, indicating usefulness in point-of-care testing for monitoring gastric pH in tube-fed children with neurologic impairments and GERD.
Topics: Child; Enteral Nutrition; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Point-of-Care Testing; Stomach
PubMed: 33605659
DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003087 -
Clinical Biochemistry Jan 2013To minimize toxicity of high-dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy, urinary alkalinization with frequent monitoring of urine pH is required. Urine pH is usually assessed by...
OBJECTIVES
To minimize toxicity of high-dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy, urinary alkalinization with frequent monitoring of urine pH is required. Urine pH is usually assessed by fast and convenient dipstick methods. When urine color interferes with dipstick measurement, as occurs in patients receiving MTX, alternative methods such as pH meters are used. Nursing staff caring for patients on high-dose MTX reported that urine pH results from dipstick and pH analyzers were often clinically discordant. As a result urine pH by dipstick and pH meter were compared in patients on high-dose MTX therapy and patients with normal-colored urine samples.
DESIGN AND METHODS
We measured urine pH by dipstick and pH meter in 116 urine samples from 4 patients receiving high-dose MTX therapy, and in 50 normal-colored urine samples from 50 patients not on MTX therapy.
RESULTS
In patients on MTX therapy the mean (±standard deviation) bias between dipstick and pH meter urine pH was 0.7±0.4, compared to 0.4±0.3 in patients not on MTX. For patients on MTX clinical concordance between dipstick and pH meter urine results was poor around a clinical cut-off of pH 8.0. Of the 92 samples with a meter urine pH≤8.0, 72 had a discordant value by dipstick (pH>8).
CONCLUSIONS
Urine pH readings by dipstick and pH meter are not equivalent, and the bias between them is exacerbated in patients on MTX. Institutions with high-dose MTX therapy protocols should not alternate between dipstick and pH meter urine pH monitoring.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Color; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Methotrexate; Urinalysis
PubMed: 23103706
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2012.10.018 -
European Journal of Gastroenterology &... Jan 2012A gastric pH below 4 increases the risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in critically ill patients. The pH can be monitored intermittently by testing the gastric aspirate... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVE
A gastric pH below 4 increases the risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in critically ill patients. The pH can be monitored intermittently by testing the gastric aspirate using pH paper or continuously using a pH-meter (often in combination with multichannel intraluminal impedance). The objective of this study was to compare these two methods of pH measurement.
METHODS
An observational, prospective study was conducted in critically ill children between 1 month and 14 years with at least two risk factors for gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Gastric pH was measured continuously by a multichannel pH-meter tube and every 2 h using pH paper on aspirates of gastric juice.
RESULTS
A total of 471 gastric pH measurements were analyzed. The mean gastric pH measured by the pH-meter was 4.3±2.5 and that by pH paper was 3.9±2.2. The gastric pH was above 4 in 49.6% of the measurements taken on the basis of the gastric aspirate and in 49.8% of the pH-meter readings. The correlation between the two methods was moderate (0.59; P<0.001) but the concordance was low (0.54). The concordance with regard to determining a gastric pH above or below 4 was 77%.
CONCLUSION
pH paper is a simple and inexpensive method that can be useful for initial patient monitoring, but it should not be used as a substitute for monitoring by pH-meter in patients in whom strict control of the gastric pH is required.
Topics: Adolescent; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Catheters, Indwelling; Child; Child, Preschool; Critical Care; Critical Illness; Female; Gastric Acidity Determination; Gastric Juice; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Infant; Male; Monitoring, Physiologic; Postoperative Care; Prospective Studies; Reagent Strips; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 22016103
DOI: 10.1097/MEG.0b013e32834d4bac -
Current Medical Research and Opinion Nov 2006Self-monitoring of blood glucose plays an important role in the management of diabetes, particularly in patients treated with insulin. Blood glucose meters must have... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Self-monitoring of blood glucose plays an important role in the management of diabetes, particularly in patients treated with insulin. Blood glucose meters must have sufficient accuracy to allow patients and clinicians to monitor glycemic control and then modify treatment accordingly. Although several standards have been proposed, a consensus about how to measure glucose meter accuracy is not available.
SCOPE
An informal review of recently published articles dealing with glucose meter accuracy was conducted to provide recommendations for evaluating accuracy relevant to the practicing clinician.
FINDINGS
Whether in clinical practice or in accuracy studies, the accuracy of blood glucose meters is typically determined by comparing meter results to those obtained by a clinical laboratory method on samples collected from the same patient at the same time. However, multiple sample-related, analysis-related, and data display-related factors can have an impact on accuracy determination. Clinicians need to recognize these factors and take steps to minimize their impact when assessing the accuracy of glucose meters used by their patients.
CONCLUSIONS
Although modern glucose meters show variable results with respect to analytical measures of accuracy, error grid analysis demonstrates that measurements deemed clinically acceptable approach 100%.
Topics: Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Data Display; Diabetes Mellitus; Fasting; Humans; Patient Education as Topic
PubMed: 17076977
DOI: 10.1185/030079906X148274 -
Physical & Occupational Therapy in... Feb 2018To provide normative reference values for the 2-minute walk test (2MWT) for children and adolescents.
AIMS
To provide normative reference values for the 2-minute walk test (2MWT) for children and adolescents.
METHODS
A population-based sample of 2,631 boys and girls (3-17 years) contributed data to this 2011 study which was part of the NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function Norming Project. The 2MWT was performed over a 50 foot (15.2 meter) out-and-back course.
RESULTS
Overall, the mean (standard deviation) distance walked by the participants was 186.2 (33.9) meters. As a general linear model demonstrated that gender (F = 11.0, p =.001) and age (F = 127.6, p <.001) affected 2MWT distance, separate norms are provided for each gender and age stratum (e.g., 3-year-old boys,16-year-old girls). Based on these findings and correlational and regression analysis, separate explanatory equations for 2MWT distance for boys and girls are provided. The separate equations for boys and girls include age, age squared, height, and body mass as variables that explain around 40% of the variance in 2MWT distance.
CONCLUSIONS
The study presents norms for the 2MWT performed by American boys and girls. The norms can be used to determine the presence of limitations in walking endurance in this population.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Reference Values; Sex Factors; Walk Test; Walking
PubMed: 28129009
DOI: 10.1080/01942638.2016.1261981 -
Current Urology Reports Aug 2023Urinary pH is an important factor related to renal stone disease, and it plays an essential role in stone prevention. Monitoring of urinary pH by patients at home... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Urinary pH is an important factor related to renal stone disease, and it plays an essential role in stone prevention. Monitoring of urinary pH by patients at home provides information that can help to assess the treatment needed by each patient. We conducted a systematic review is to assess the available evidence concerning urinary pH monitoring methods along with their accuracy, cost, and usefulness by patients with urolithiasis.
RECENT FINDINGS
A total of 9 articles were included (1886 urinary pH measurements). They reported information about urinary dipsticks, portable electronic pH meters and electronic strip readers, amongst other methods. Accuracy was compared with a laboratory pH meter (gold standard). Urinary dipsticks were found to be not accurate enough to guide clinical decision making and portable electronic pH meters showed promising results. Urinary dipsticks are neither precise nor accurate enough. Portable electronic pH meters seem to be more accurate, easy to use, and cost-effective. They are a reliable source for patients to use at home in order to prevent future episodes of nephrolithiasis.
Topics: Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kidney Calculi; Urolithiasis; Urinary Tract; Forecasting
PubMed: 37314611
DOI: 10.1007/s11934-023-01166-5 -
The New Zealand Medical Journal Mar 2010Hand-held glucose meters are used throughout the health system by both patients with diabetes and also by health care practitioners. Glucose meter technology is... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Hand-held glucose meters are used throughout the health system by both patients with diabetes and also by health care practitioners. Glucose meter technology is constantly evolving. The current generation of meters and strips are quick to use and require a very small volume of blood. This review aims to describe meters currently available in New Zealand, for use in the ambulatory setting. It also aims to discuss the limits of meter performance and provide technical information that is relevant to the clinician, using locally available data. Commoner causes and consequences of end-user (patient and health professional) error are illustrated using clinical case examples. No meter offers definite advantages over other meters in all clinical situations, rather meters should be chosen because they fit the needs of individual patients and because the provider is able to offer appropriate educational and quality assurance backup to the meter user. A broad understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the subsidised meter systems available in New Zealand will help the health practitioner decide when it is in the best interests of their patients to change or update meter technology.
Topics: Ambulatory Care; Blood Glucose; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; Calibration; Capillaries; Diabetes Mellitus; Diagnostic Errors; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems; Sensitivity and Specificity; Veins
PubMed: 20360781
DOI: No ID Found