Published on in Vol 27 (2025)

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/67948, first published .
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Validation of the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale in China: Instrument Validation Study

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Validation of the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale in China: Instrument Validation Study

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Validation of the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale in China: Instrument Validation Study

Authors of this article:

Rongrong Guo1 Author Orcid Image ;   Ziling Zheng2 Author Orcid Image ;   Fangyu Yang1 Author Orcid Image ;   Ying Wu1 Author Orcid Image

Original Paper

1School of Nursing, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

2Department of Hematology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China

*these authors contributed equally

Corresponding Author:

Ying Wu, PhD

School of Nursing

Capital Medical University

10 You-an-men Wai Xi-tou-tiao, Feng-tai District

Beijing, 100069

China

Phone: 86 1391 078 9837

Email: helenywu@vip.163.com


Background: The dramatic growth of digital health apps highlights an urgent need for rigorous usability evaluation tools. While the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) has gained validation, a Chinese version has not yet been developed and validated.

Objective: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Health-ITUES into Chinese, customize it for both service consumers and professional health care providers, and evaluate its reliability and validity in the Chinese context.

Methods: Following the Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-report measures, the Health-ITUES was meticulously translated and culturally adapted into Chinese version following 2 rounds of expert consultation. Subsequently, based on the SMART system, an intelligent and integrated older adult care model, the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES was customized into the care receiver version (Health-ITUES-R) and professional health care provider version (Health-ITUES-P). Older individuals and nurses participated in the validation testing conducted between December 2020 and February 2021, facilitated by the improvement of the COVID-19 pandemic and the timing preceding the Spring Festival, which ensured feasible recruitment and a sufficient sample size. In addition, the pandemic-driven increase in digital health app usage allowed us to assess usability in a relevant real-world health care setting. Content validity, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion validity were used to evaluate the psychometric attributes of the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P.

Results: A Chinese version of the Health-ITUES comprising 20 items across 4 dimensions was formulated, informing the customization of the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P. In total, 110 and 124 eligible older adults and nurses validated the customized Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P, respectively. Both versions exhibited satisfactory content validity (content validity index of items=0.83-1.00; content validity index of scale=0.99) and adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach α and McDonald ω>0.80 for the overall scale; >0.75 for individual items). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 4D structure with acceptable construct validity, as indicated by model fit indices. Both the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P showed satisfactory convergent validity (average variance extracted [AVE] value>0.5, composite reliability value>0.7), except for a slightly lower AVE value (0.478) for the second dimension of the Health-ITUES-R. Discriminant validity was supported, with the square root of AVE values exceeding correlation coefficients and the Hetereotrait-Monotrait ratio below 0.85. Furthermore, Pearson correlation coefficients for the perceived usefulness dimension, perceived ease of use dimension, and overall scale of the Health-ITUES-R and patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health application were 0.587, 0.647, and 0.743 (all P<.01), demonstrating a significant correlation.

Conclusions: The Chinese version of the Health-ITUES can be used as a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the usability of digital health apps for both care receivers and professional health care providers in the Chinese context.

J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e67948

doi:10.2196/67948

Keywords



The global realm of digital health apps has grown dramatically. This trend has been particularly notable since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 [Quesada-Caballero M, Carmona-García A, Chami-Peña S, Caballero-Mateos AM, Fernández-Martín O, Cañadas-De la Fuente GA, et al. Telemedicine in elderly hypertensive and patients with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med. 2023;12(19):6160. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]1,Giebel GD, Speckemeier C, Abels C, Plescher F, Börchers K, Wasem J, et al. Problems and barriers related to the use of digital health applications: scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25:e43808. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]2]. As of the first quarter of 2021, more than 53,000 apps were available on the Google Play Store. This represents a notable increase of over 25% compared to about 42,000 apps on the same platform during the same period of the previous year [Number of mHealth apps available in the google play store from 1st quarter 2015 to 1st quarter. Statistia. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/779919/health-apps-available-google-play-worldwide/ [accessed 2022-01-07] 3]. These apps offer a feasible alternative to face-to-face communication between health care professionals and patients, assist health care professionals in diagnosing and managing various medical conditions by providing quick access to health data, disseminate health-promoting knowledge, and facilitate patients’ self-management, thus improving the efficiency of the health care system worldwide [Chen C, Ding S, Wang J. Digital health for aging populations. Nat Med. 2023;29(7):1623-1630. [CrossRef] [Medline]4,Xiong S, Lu H, Peoples N, Duman EK, Najarro A, Ni Z, et al. Digital health interventions for non-communicable disease management in primary health care in low-and middle-income countries. NPJ Digit Med. 2023;6(1):12. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]5].

As digital health apps gain increasing popularity, the market is saturated with a diverse array of such apps, each varying in quality and functionality. Consequently, users frequently encounter difficulties in selecting the appropriate and truly useful apps that can enhance their health outcomes. A rigorous and standardized app rating system, implemented before the release of these apps to the major stores, empowers users to make well-informed decisions and fosters the healthy development of the app market [Shinohara Y, Yamamoto K, Ito M, Sakata M, Koizumi S, Hashisako M, et al. Development and validation of the Japanese version of the uMARS (user version of the mobile app rating system). Int J Med Inform. 2022;165:104809. [CrossRef] [Medline]6]. However, the star rating and user reviews provided on the App Store are subjective and cannot accurately reflect the true usefulness and effectiveness of a digital health app [Saliasi I, Martinon P, Darlington E, Smentek C, Tardivo D, Bourgeois D, et al. Promoting health via mHealth applications using a French version of the mobile app rating scale: adaptation and validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021;9(8):e30480. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]7]. In contrast, usability, defined as the extent to which users can use an app to achieve specific objectives with efficiency, satisfaction, and effectiveness in a specified usage context, is crucial to reflect the quality and efficacy of digital health apps [Ergonomic Requirements for Office Work With Visual Display Terminals (VDTs)-Part 11: Guidance on Usability. 1998. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/16883.html [accessed 2021-11-19] 8,Hyzy M, Bond R, Mulvenna M, Bai L, Dix A, Leigh S, et al. System usability scale benchmarking for digital health apps: meta-analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2022;10(8):e37290. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]9]. Therefore, a rigorous and validated usability evaluation tool is urgently warranted to produce objective usability results for digital health apps before their release. This would enable consumers and researchers to promptly and efficiently select reliable apps.

Several questionnaires have been developed previously for usability testing, such as the System Usability Scale (SUS) [Brooke J. SUS - A Quick and Dirty Usability Scale. 1996. URL: https:/​/digital.​ahrq.gov/​sites/​default/​files/​docs/​survey/​systemusabilityscale%2528sus%2529_comp%255B1%255D.​pdf [accessed 2025-04-01] 10], the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) [Chin J, Diehl V, Norman K. Development of an instrument measuring user satisfaction of the human-computer interface. ACM; 1998. Presented at: CHI '88: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; 1998 May 15 - 19:213-218; Human Factors in Computing Systems. [CrossRef]11], the Software Usability Measurement Inventory [What is SUMI? Sumi. 2021. URL: http://sumi.uxp.ie/about/whatis.html, [accessed 2025-04-01] 12], and the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) [Computer System Usability Questionnaire[EB/OL]. URL: https://garyperlman.com/quest/quest.cgi, [accessed 2021-03-18] 13]. However, these questionnaires were originally designed with a focus on general information technology systems without considering the unique characteristics of digital health apps. These include the specialized content tailored to health needs, users’ high expectations regarding the accuracy of the information and functions, and the involvement of both service consumers (ie, patients who rely on the personalized chronic disease management apps to manage chronic diseases, access medical and health care information, and communicate with health care providers) and professional health care providers (ie, medical and nursing staffs involved in the personalized chronic disease management apps to monitor patients’ health status, provide medical advice, and coordinate treatment plans). Consequently, these usability evaluation tools prove challenging to reliably identify the specific problems that may arise when using digital health apps [Harrati N, Bouchrika I, Tari A, Ladjailia A. Exploring user satisfaction for e-learning systems via usage-based metrics and system usability scale analysis. Computers in Human Behavior. 2016;61:463-471. [CrossRef]14].

To bridge this gap, Yen et al [Yen PY, Wantland D, Bakken S. Development of a customizable health IT usability evaluation scale. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2010;2010:917-921. [FREE Full text] [Medline]15] developed the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) based on Bidshift, a web-based communication system for scheduling nursing staff to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the staffing and scheduling process. Bidshift allows nurse managers to announce open shifts throughout the organization and staff nurses to request shifts. Consequently, the Health-ITUES was developed to assess nurses’ usability perceptions regarding the Bidshift system for shift requests at the task, individual, and organizational levels. It has been increasingly used as a validated tool to specifically evaluate the usability of digital health apps by clearly considering tasks [Schnall R, Cho H, Liu J. Health information technology usability evaluation scale (Health-ITUES) for usability assessment of mobile health technology: validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(1):e4. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]16]. The Health-ITUES also supports the customization at the item level to align with the specific tasks and expectations of the health systems while retaining comparability at the construct level [Brown W, Yen P, Rojas M, Schnall R. Assessment of the health IT usability evaluation model (Health-ITUEM) for evaluating mobile health (mHealth) technology. J Biomed Inform. 2013;46(6):1080-1087. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]17]. The original English version of the Health-ITUES has been validated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among nurses [Schnall R, Cho H, Liu J. Health information technology usability evaluation scale (Health-ITUES) for usability assessment of mobile health technology: validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(1):e4. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]16] and community-dwelling adults with HIV [Yen P, Sousa KH, Bakken S. Examining construct and predictive validity of the health-IT usability evaluation scale: confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling results. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014;21(e2):e241-e248. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]18]. Although a validated Korean version of Health-ITUES already exists [Lee J, Schnall R. Validity and reliability of the Korean version of the health information technology usability evaluation scale: psychometric evaluation. JMIR Med Inform. 2022;10(1):e28621. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]19], a Chinese version is currently unavailable. This absence creates a significant gap, especially considering the language, cultural norms, and the distinct regulatory framework and professional practices inherent in the Chinese health care system.

Therefore, this study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Health-ITUES into Chinese, revise its customized parts to cater to both service consumers and professional health care providers, and evaluate its reliability and validity in the Chinese context.


Study Design

This study followed the guideline for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures by Beaton et al [Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000;25(24):3186-3191. [CrossRef] [Medline]20]. The guideline offers a well-established and systematic framework to ensure rigor and validity of the cross-cultural adaptation of the Health-ITUES, minimizing potential biases and errors that might arise during the translation and adaptation processes. It also enables comparability with other studies that have followed the same or similar procedures and facilitates a more meaningful synthesis of research findings within the field. Before initiating the translation process, we obtained permission from the original author of the Health-ITUES via email to translate it into Chinese (refer to Figure S1 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1). This paper was reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist (

Multimedia Appendix 2

Reporting Guideline Checklist.

DOCX File , 25 KB
Multimedia Appendix 2
).

The Original Health-ITUES

The Health-ITUES was originally designed to measure the usability of a web-based communication system for scheduling nursing staff. Derived from the health information technology usability evaluation model, a theoretical framework to guide usability evaluations of digital health technologies [Yen PY, Bakken S. Review of health information technology usability study methodologies. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2012;19(3):413-422. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]21], the Health-ITUES has recently been increasingly used to accurately assess the usability of digital health apps [Yen P, Sousa KH, Bakken S. Examining construct and predictive validity of the health-IT usability evaluation scale: confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling results. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014;21(e2):e241-e248. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]18,Lee J, Schnall R. Validity and reliability of the Korean version of the health information technology usability evaluation scale: psychometric evaluation. JMIR Med Inform. 2022;10(1):e28621. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]19]. The tool allows for customization of the items to match the specific tasks and expectations of the health systems. It comprises 20 items from 4D: quality of work life (3 items), perceived usefulness (9 items), perceived ease of use (5 items), and user control (3 items). Each item is rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) on a 5-point Likert scale [Yen PY, Wantland D, Bakken S. Development of a customizable health IT usability evaluation scale. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2010;2010:917-921. [FREE Full text] [Medline]15]. The total scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating better perceived usability. The English version of the Health-ITUES demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity, with Cronbach α coefficients and criterion validity indexes of 0.85-0.92 and 0.46-0.70, respectively [Schnall R, Cho H, Liu J. Health information technology usability evaluation scale (Health-ITUES) for usability assessment of mobile health technology: validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(1):e4. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]16].

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Health-ITUES

Forward Translation and Synthesis of the Forward Translations

In total, 2 bilingual native Chinese speakers who were proficient in English and had passed the College English Test Band Six produced 2 forward Chinese translations of the Health-ITUES independently (T1 and T2). One of the translators was familiar with the Health-ITUES contents, while the other was unaware of the concepts being quantified. Subsequently, the 2 translations were meticulously reviewed for any ambiguity until a consensus was reached. In the process, we also invited a third translator to resolve disagreements. Through iterative comparison and refinement, a synthesized Chinese version, T3, was achieved.

Back Translation

The synthesized Chinese version T3 was independently back-translated into English versions (BT1 and BT2) by another 2 experienced translators who were native English speakers and had a good command of Chinese. Both of the back translators were blinded to the original Health-ITUES. The research team then compared the 2 back translations, analyzed the similarities and differences between them, and provided feedback to the original author of the Health-ITUES for verification. The basic information of the translators was summarized in Table S1 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1.

Cross-Cultural Adaption

All translated versions of the Health-ITUES (including the 2 forward translations, the synthesized version, and the 2 back translations) were thoroughly discussed and evaluated by a panel of 6 experts with varied research fields, encompassing older welfare technology, clinical nursing, nursing information, Chinese and American culture, and data science and engineering (refer to detailed information in Table S2 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1). The experts were invited to provide feedback on the accuracy of translation and professional terminology, readability, seamless integration with the language of the information system, comprehensibility for nonprofessionals, alignment with clinical practice, cultural appropriateness, and item retention. Through the adoption of a self-evaluation method (Table S3 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KB
Multimedia Appendix 1
), the authority coefficient (Cr) was determined by considering the familiarity coefficient (Cs) and the judgment coefficient (Ca). The formula for calculating the Cr is Cr = (Cs + Ca)/2 [Wan F, Yang L, Zhou N, He Y. Construction of learning objectives and content for newly graduated nurses in tertiary teaching hospitals: A Delphi study. Nurse Educ Today. 2023;121:105716. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]22].

Based on their professional theoretical knowledge and practical experience, the experts evaluated each item independently on semantic equivalence, conceptual equivalence, experiential equivalence, and idiomatic equivalence. Any items with ambiguity were reworded until all expert queries were addressed, eventually resulting in the final Chinese version of the Health-ITUES.

Validation of the Health-ITUES

Overview

We used the SMART system (known in Chinese as Aifuxing App), developed in the early stage, as a digital health App for the Health-ITUES validation. In short, the SMART system was primarily designed to facilitate personalized integrated home-based care for older people [NSFC. URL: https://kd.nsfc.cn/fundingProjectInit [accessed 2025-04-01] 23]. Considering that older individuals and professional care providers are the main users of the app, this study aimed to validate the effectiveness of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES among both older people and professional health care providers.

Customization of the Care Receiver and Professional Health Care Provider Versions of the Health-ITUES

Based on the overall objectives and functional components of the SMART system, the research team engaged in multiple rounds of discussions to refine the customized components within the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES, formulating the initial care receiver (ie, Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale—care receiver version [Health-ITUES-R]) and professional health care provider versions of the Health-ITUES (ie, Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale—professional health care provider version [Health-ITUES-P]). Subsequently, a panel of 6 experts from pertinent fields (refer to specific details in Table S4 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1) were tasked with reviewing the 2 initial customized scales and assigning ratings for the correlation between each item and the corresponding dimension on a 4-level scale: 1=uncorrelated, 2=weakly correlated, 3=strongly correlated, and 4=highly correlated. The research team then iteratively modified the items according to expert suggestions until a consensus was reached among all experts on the finalized Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P.

Study Participants

The validation test was conducted in a geriatric ward of a comprehensive hospital in Beijing, China from December 2020 to February 2021. A total of 3 primary factors underlie our choice of this research time frame. First, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital adopted a closed-door management strategy that strictly restricted inpatient numbers and prohibited nonhospital staff from entering. This situation persisted until December 2020, when the improving pandemic conditions enabled patient admissions and researchers’ entry for recruitment activities. Concurrently, a significant increase in patient arrivals guaranteed an adequate sample size. Second, the research period extended just before the Spring Festival, a major traditional Chinese festival, which further enhanced the robustness of the sample size to generate reliable results. In addition, the surge in digital health app use during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to assess usability in a relevant, real-world health care environment. Older adults were included consecutively if they (1) were aged 60 or older, (2) possessed normal communication and interaction abilities, (3) obtained at least a primary school education, (4) had an android-based smartphone for internet access, and (5) expressed willingness to participate. Older individuals with dementia or other mental illness were excluded to ensure comprehension of the scale items. To validate the Health-ITUES among professional health care providers, nurses, considered as the primary professional health care providers, were included. In-service nurses holding nurse qualification certificates were enrolled in the study if they had an android-based smartphone and were willing to participate.

Ethical Considerations

The study followed the Declaration of Helsinki and received approval from the institutional review committee of the Capital Medical University (approval number 2015SY49U). Potential participants were thoroughly informed of the study’s objectives, methods, procedures, and the data that would be collected, as well as their right to discontinue their participation at any time without facing any adverse impacts. Only those who provided written informed consent were enrolled. In addition, to safeguard participants’ privacy, personal identifiers were stored in password-protected files, and only deidentified data were used for analysis and reporting purposes. In recognition of their contribution, each participant was rewarded with a small token valued at ¥20 (about US $3). The manuscript and supplementary materials were meticulously designed to exclude any information that could disclose the identities of individual participants.

Instruments

General Information Collection

Demographic information including age, gender, education, and monthly income was collected from both older individuals and nurses. Besides, we gathered data on nurses’ professional titles and years of employment. To measure participants’ usage frequency of common functions on mobile phones, a mobile phone usage experience questionnaire was used. This questionnaire, derived from the questionnaire on computer experience, consists of 8 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very frequently). The total scores range from 8-40, with 8-16, 17-32, and 33-49 indicating low, moderate, and abundant mobile phone usage experience, respectively. The questionnaire exhibited satisfactory reliability, with a Cronbach α coefficient of 0.922 [Xinlin X, Jinxiu J, Qian X. Survey of health information acquisition and use of neurological patients based on mobile "internet plus". Chinese Nursing Research. 2018;32(4):624-628. [CrossRef]24].

The Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P

The finalized Health-ITUES-C and Health-ITUES-P adapted from the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES were used to collect the perceived usability of the SMART system among older individuals and nurses, respectively. Respondents rate these items on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree). Total scores for both versions are calculated by summing the scores of each item, with higher scores reflecting better-perceived usability.

Patient Acceptance Questionnaire for the Mobile Health App

The patient acceptance questionnaire for the mobile health app was used as a reference standard to evaluate the criterion validity of the Health-ITUES. This questionnaire, designed to evaluate patients’ acceptance of mobile medical products, consists of 32 items covering 6D: usefulness, ease of use, trust, usage attitude, system interface, and usage tendency. Respondents provide ratings for each item on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), resulting in a total score of 160. The questionnaire had satisfactory reliability and validity, with the scale-content validity index (S-CVI), Cronbach α coefficient, and split-half reliability of 0.97, 0.96, and 0.99, respectively [Huijuan. The development of patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health application. China Digital Medicine,13 (6). 2018;13(6):7-9. [CrossRef]25]. Given its focus on users of medical apps, the questionnaire was only administered to older people.

Data Collection Procedures

After providing a comprehensive explanation of the study’s purpose, significance, and procedures, the research team assisted the participants in downloading and installing the SMART system and completing registration and login. Training materials, including instructional videos and user manuals, were made available to the participants until they felt confident in using the app. Subsequently, the participants were required to use the SMART system independently for 24 hours to complete the assigned tasks before filling out the Health-ITUES-R, Health-ITUES-P, and patient acceptance questionnaire for the mobile health app as appropriate. During the 24-hour app-use period, the enrolled older participants and nurses were instructed to complete the assigned tasks independently, without seeking assistance or discussing related content with others. Continuous monitoring was conducted by the research team and nurses from the department who were not enrolled as participants. The detailed tasks assigned to older adults and nurses are listed in Table S5 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1.

Sample Size Calculation

To achieve adequate statistical power, the sample size should be 5-10 times the number of items [Liu J, Wang Y, Shi XY, Liu XY, Cui CH, Qin L, et al. Analysis of current situation regarding scientific fitness literacy of nurses in sports medicine integration. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2022;15:1831-1841. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]26]. With a total of 20 items in the Health-ITUES, the study necessitated a minimum of 100 participants. Taking a 20% dropout rate into consideration, at least 110 older individuals and nurses were needed for the study. The anticipated dropout rate of 20% was based on prior studies investigating app usability [Weber F, Kloek C, Stuhrmann S, Blum Y, Grüneberg C, Veenhof C. Usability and preliminary effectiveness of an app-based physical activity and education program for people with hip or knee osteoarthritis - a pilot randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Res Ther. 2024;26(1):83. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]27,Pavlou M, Flavell C, Gourtani F, Nikitas C, Kikidis D, Bibas A, et al. Feasibility and acceptability of the HOLObalance telerehabilitation system compared with standard care for older adults at risk of falls: the HOLOBalance assessor blinded pilot randomised controlled study. Age Ageing. 2024;53(10). [CrossRef] [Medline]28].

Statistical Analysis

Continuous data was tested for normal distribution by using the 1-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and expressed as mean SD or medians with IQR as appropriate. For the between-group comparison, the student t test was used for continuous variables with normal distribution, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used for nonnormally distributed continuous data. Categorical variables were expressed as frequencies or proportions (%) and comparisons were conducted using chi-square or Fisher exact test as appropriate.

The content validity of the finalized Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P was assessed by the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and S-CVI based on expert ratings. I-CVI is the ratio of the experts ranking the item for 3 or 4 scores, and the S-CVI is the average value of all the I-CVI scores [Polit DF, Beck CT, Owen SV. Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Res Nurs Health. 2007;30(4):459-467. [CrossRef] [Medline]29]. A scale with an I-CVI of > 0.78 and a S-CVI of ≥ 0.90 is considered satisfactory [Guo Z, Ding C, Gao W, Hong J, Tang J, Zhang Y, et al. Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of attitudes and beliefs about cardiovascular disease risk perception questionnaire. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):20241. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]30].

The internal consistency reliability was determined by Cronbach α, McDonald ω, and corrected item-total correlation coefficient (CITC). Values of Cronbach α and McDonald’s ω ≥ 0.70 are considered adequate, while a value of CITC of <0.30 indicates a low correlation [Cho SM, Choi J. Integral leadership in nursing: development and psychometric validation of a Korean version of the integral nursing leadership scale. Int J Nurs Stud. 2024;152:104697. [CrossRef] [Medline]31,Li J, Liu P, Zhang Y, Wang G, Zhou Y, Xing Y, et al. Development of the clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in Chinese older adults. J Frailty Aging. 2024;13(2):125-130. [CrossRef] [Medline]32]. While the test-retest reliability could assess measurement consistency under consistent conditions, the fluctuating nature of users’ perceived usability of the digital health apps over time makes this indicator unsuitable [Shelley L, Jones C, Pearson E, Richards C, Crawford H, Paricos A, et al. Measurement tools for behaviours that challenge and behavioural function in people with intellectual disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis of internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. Clin Psychol Rev. 2024;110:102434. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]33]. Furthermore, due to inherent variations in user perceptions of the app’s usability, interrater reliability was not examined in the study.

CFA with maximum likelihood estimation was performed to explore the structure validity. The analysis provided standardized factor loading to estimate the relationship strength between items and dimensions [Nur Zati Iwani AK, Jalaludin MY, Yahya A, Mansor F, Md Zain F, Hong JYH, et al. TG: HDL-C ratio as insulin resistance marker for metabolic syndrome in children with obesity. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:852290. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]34], together with model fit indices, including χ2/df, root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA), root-mean-square residual (RMR), standardized root-mean-square residual (SRMR), parsimonious goodness-of-fit index (PGFI), parsimonious normed fit index (PNFI), and parsimonious comparative fit index (PCFI). Acceptable structure validity was evaluated using recommended cut-offs characterized as standardized factor loading of ≥0.60, χ2/df of <3, RMSEA of ≤0.10, RMR of ≤0.05, SRMR of ≤0.80, PGFI of ≥0.50, PNFI of ≥0.50, and PCFI of ≥0.50 [Islam MA, Iffat W, Imam S, Shakeel S, Rasheed A, Naqvi AA. Translation and validation of the Sindhi version of the general medication adherence scale in patients with chronic diseases. Front Pharmacol. 2023;14:1235032. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]35].

To determine the convergent validity, the composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) were calculated through the Fornell and Larcker approach [Ghanavati S, Baradaran HR, Kamran Soltani Arabshahi S, Bigdeli S. Developing and validating of the clinical uncertainty measurement questionnaire (CUMQ) among practicing physicians and clinical residents in Iran. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):462. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]36] with a CR ≥ 0.70 and AVE ≥ 0.50 indicating satisfactory convergent validity. The square root of the AVE exceeding each of its correlations with other dimensions indicates appropriate discriminant validity [Chen L, Yang N, Huang Y, Xi X. Development and validation of pharmaceutical care barriers scale in Chinese hospitals: a cross-sectional survey. Front Pharmacol. 2023;14:1194901. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]37]. The discriminant validity was also tested by the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT), where a value <0.85 is acceptable [Sharif-Nia H, Ahmadzadeh Tori N, Behmanesh F, Ghaffari F, Pourreza A. Development and psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire on the contributing factors of tendency towards voluntary single-childedness and childlessness: a mixed method study. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):1305. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]38]. In addition, the criterion validity between the Health-ITUES and patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health apps was analyzed through Pearson correlation analysis, with correlation values of >0.50 deemed adequate [Yüksel R, Arslantaş H, Dereboy F, Kizilkaya M, Inalkaç S. Validity and reliability study of mental health recovery measure's Turkish version. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2023;34(2):110-117. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]39].

Statistical analyses were performed using AMOS version 26.0 (IBM Corp) for CFA and SPSS version 26.0 (SPSS Inc) for the remaining analyses. A 2-sided P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.


Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation Versions of the Health-ITUES

The detailed summary of the forward translations T1 and T2, synthesized version T3, and back translations BT1 and BT2 was provided in Table S6 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1. Following the first and second rounds of consultations with the expert panel, a total of 6 and 5 modifications were made, respectively, to formulate the final Chinese version of the Health-ITUES. The dimension “quality of work life” was deemed inadequate in reflecting the corresponding items accurately. Under expert guidance, we changed it to “impact.” Further details of expert suggestions and specific modifications on the synthesized version T3 were summarized in Tables S7 and S8 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KB
Multimedia Appendix 1
. The Cr of the expert panel was 0.89, indicating a high level of expert authority.

Validation of the Health-ITUES

Customization of the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P

Based on the final Chinese version of the Health-ITUES, the research team proceeded to customize the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P to align with the specific tasks and expectations of the SMART system after extensive discussions. Subsequently, according to the suggestions from the expert panel with a Cr of 0.95, the research team made revisions to 6 and 4 items in the initial Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-Provider to formulate the finalized versions for further validation. The expert suggestions and revisions as well as the finalized Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P were shown in Tables S9-S12 in

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KBMultimedia Appendix 1.

Validation of the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P
Baseline Characteristics of Older Individuals and Nurses

A total of 110 and 124 eligible older adults and nurses were included in the validation test, respectively. Table 1 showcases their baseline characteristics. The median age of the older participants was 67 (IQR 64-71) years with 67.27% (74/110) being male. The enrolled nurses were largely female (112/124, 90.32%) with a median age of 26 (IQR 24-28) years. Overall, 52.73% (58/110) of the older participants were reported to have limited experience in using mobile phones, while the rest (52/110, 47.27%) exhibited moderate experience. In contrast, nurses exhibited more experience in using mobile phones, with 91.13% (113/124) having moderate usage experience and 8.87% (11/124) possessing abundant experience. Furthermore, older people tended to spend less time on their mobile phones every day, with only 10% (11/110) using their mobile phones for more than 3 hours per day, while 69.35% (86/124) of nurses reported using mobile phones for more than 5 hours per day.

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the enrolled older adults and nurses in the validation study.
CharacteristicsOlder adults (n=110)Nurses (n=124)
Age (years), median (IQR)67 (64-71)26 (24-28)
Male, n (%)74 (67.27)12 (9.68)
Education, n (%)

Primary school and below28 (25.45)a

Junior high school51 (46.36)a

Senior high school and above31 (28.18)a

Junior college or belowa63 (50.81)

Undergraduate or abovea61 (49.19)
Monthly income (¥)b, n (%)

≤100016 (14.55)a

1001-300041 (37.27)a

3001-500042 (38.18)a

>500011 (10.00)a

≤5000a29 (23.39)

5001-10,000a66 (53.23)

>10,000a29 (23.39)
Years of work experience, n (%)

<4a64 (51.61)

4-9a50 (40.32)

>9a10 (8.06)
Professional titles, n (%)

Junior levela93 (75.00)

Intermediate levela29 (23.39)

Senior levela2 (1.61)
History of chronic diseases, n (%)

Hypertension75 (68.18)a

Diabetes mellitus37 (33.64)a

Hyperlipidemia31 (28.18)a

Stroke38 (34.55)a

Coronary heart diseases9 (8.18)a
Usage experience of mobile phones, n (%)

Less experience58 (52.73)0 (0)

Moderate experience52 (47.27)113 (91.13)

Abundant experience0 (0.00)11 (8.87)
Daily mobile phone usage duration, n (%)

<1 hour52 (47.27)a

1-3 hours47 (42.73)a

>3 hours11 (10.00)a

<5 hoursa38 (30.65)

5-7 hoursa64 (51.61)

>7 hoursa22 (17.74)

aNot applicable.

b¥1=US $0.0071.

Reliability and Validity Evaluation Results

As shown in Table 2, the I-CVI for both the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P ranged from 0.83 to 1.00, while the S-CVI for both versions was 0.99, indicating satisfactory content validity. The table summarizes the content validity index and modified kappa agreement value of both the Health-ITUES-R and the Health-ITUES-P in the validation study.

As shown in Table 3, we found a satisfactory internal consistency of the Health-ITUES-R, with Cronbach α and McDonald ω values of 0.880 and 0.899 for the overall scale, and 0.770-0.891 and 0.798-0.887 for the individual items. Similarly, the internal consistency of the Health-ITUES-P was excellent (Cronbach α=0.939 for the overall scale and 0.833-0.939 for individual items, McDonald ω=0.946 for the total scale and 0.901-0.931 for individual items). Besides, the CITC of each item in both of the versions was greater than 0.30, reflecting an acceptable correlation of each item with the sum of the other items in the scales. The table summarizes the internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of both the Health-ITUES-R and the Health-ITUES-P in the validation study.

The path diagram and standardized factor loadings of the Health-ITUES are illustrated in Figure 1. The CFA confirmed a 4-factor model consistent with the dimensions and items of the original Health-ITUES. The item scores from both the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P exhibited adequate psychometric properties, with standardized factor loadings all exceeding 0.60, except for 1 item (AQ12) in the Health-ITUES-R (0.59). Moreover, according to the model fit indices (Table 4), both versions of the Health-ITUES showed acceptable fit, despite a slightly higher RSMEA value (0.122) for the Health-ITUES-P. The table summarizes the overall model fit of both the Health-ITUES-R and the Health-ITUES-P by using the confirmatory factor analysis in the validation study.

According to Table 3, both the Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P displayed satisfactory convergent validity, with AVE values exceeding 0.5 and CR values surpassing 0.7, except for a slightly lower AVE value (0.478) for the second dimension in the Health-ITUES-R. Besides, the greater square root of AVE values for all four dimensions than correlation coefficients and HTMT values below 0.85 suggested a good discriminant validity (Tables 5 and 6). Table 5 summarizes the discriminant validity of both the Health-ITUES-R and the Health-ITUES-P in the validation study and Table 6 summarizes the Heterotrait-Monotrait values between the 4D of both the Health-ITUES-R and the Health-ITUES-P in the validation study

Regarding the criterion validity, Pearson correlation coefficients for the perceived usefulness dimension, perceived ease of use dimension, and overall scale of the Health-ITUES-R and patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health application were 0.587, 0.647, and 0.743, respectively (all P<.01), indicating a significant correlation between them. Further details are provided in Table 7.

Table 2. The content validity index and modified kappa agreement value of both the Health-ITUES-Ra and the Health-ITUES-Pb (n=6).
ItemsHealth-ITUES-R (n=6)Health-ITUES-P (n=6)

Number of experts with a rating of 3 or 4I-CVIcModified kappaNumber of experts with a rating of 3 or 4I-CVIModified kappa
AQd1/BQe150.830.8161.001.00
AQ2/BQ261.001.0050.830.81
AQ3/BQ361.001.0061.001.00
AQ4/BQ461.001.0061.001.00
AQ5/BQ561.001.0061.001.00
AQ6/BQ661.001.0061.001.00
AQ7/BQ761.001.0061.001.00
AQ8/BQ861.001.0061.001.00
AQ9/BQ961.001.0061.001.00
AQ10/BQ1061.001.0061.001.00
AQ11/BQ1161.001.0061.001.00
AQ12/BQ1261.001.0061.001.00
AQ13/BQ1361.001.0061.001.00
AQ14/BQ1461.001.0061.001.00
AQ15/BQ1561.001.0061.001.00
AQ16/BQ1661.001.0061.001.00
AQ17/BQ1761.001.0061.001.00
AQ18/BQ1861.001.0061.001.00
AQ19/BQ1961.001.0061.001.00
AQ20/BQ2061.001.0061.001.00

aHealth-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).

bHealth-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version).

cI-CVI: items-level content validity index.

dAQ: questions in the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Care Receiver Version).

eBQ: questions in the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Professional Health Care Provider Version).

Table 3. The internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of both the Health-ITUES-Ra and the Health-ITUES-Pb.
DimensionsHealth-ITUES-RHealth-ITUES-P

Cronbach αMcDonald ωCITCcAVEdCReCronbach αMcDonald ωCITCAVECR
Impact0.7780.871f0.5440.7810.8440.9070.6490.847
AQg1/BQh10.8780.8980.3620.9360.9440.647
AQ2/BQ20.8790.8980.3360.9370.9440.651
AQ3/BQ30.8750.8950.4800.9360.9440.676
Perceived usefulness0.8880.9110.4780.8910.9140.9310.5560.918
AQ4/BQ40.8730.8940.5230.9350.9430.722
AQ5/BQ50.8750.8950.4730.9350.9430.720
AQ6/BQ60.8770.8960.4160.9360.9430.697
AQ7/BQ70.8720.8920.5820.9360.9430.691
AQ8/BQ80.8750.8940.4860.9360.9440.647
AQ9/BQ90.8700.8920.6070.9360.9440.682
AQ10/BQ100.8750.8950.4820.9350.9430.694
AQ11/BQ110.8750.8950.4630.9350.9430.737
AQ12/BQ120.8750.8950.4930.9370.9450.609
Perceived ease of use0.8910.9210.6330.8950.8670.9060.5810.873
AQ13/BQ130.8740.8950.5350.9370.9440.624
AQ14/BQ140.8710.8930.5980.9380.9450.566
AQ15/BQ150.8720.8940.5640.9380.9450.536
AQ16/BQ160.8710.8940.5790.9380.9450.562
AQ17/BQ170.8730.8950.5160.9390.9470.452
User control0.7700.8670.5270.7680.8330.9010.6470.845
AQ18/BQ180.8740.8950.4940.9360.9430.696
AQ19/BQ190.8760.8970.4270.9370.9440.631
AQ20/BQ200.8790.9000.3140.9370.9450.596
Total scale0.8800.8990.9390.946

aHealth-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).

bHealth-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version).

cCITC: corrected item-total correlation coefficient.

dAVE: average variance extracted.

eCR: composite reliability.

fNot applicable.

gAQ: questions in the care receiver version.

hBQ: questions in the professional health care provider version.

Figure 1. Path diagram and standardized factor loadings for both the Health-ITUES-R (A) and the Health-ITUES-P (B) in the confirmatory factor analysis. The path factor loadings were determined by critical ratios (all P<.001).; AQ: questions in the care receiver version; BQ: questions in the professional health care provider version; Health-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version); Health-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).
Table 4. Overall model fit indices of both the Health-ITUES-Ra and the Health-ITUES-Pb in the confirmatory factor analysis.
Model fit indicesχ2/df cRMSEAdRMRePGFIfPNFIgPCFIhSRMRi
Observed Value of the Health-ITUES-R1.6210.0750.0310.6290.6760.7780.076
Observed Value of the Health-ITUES-P2.8410.1220.0330.5710.6520.7110.079
Level of acceptance<3≤0.10≤0.05≥0.5≥0.5≥0.5≤0.1

aHealth-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).

bHealth-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version).

cχ2/df: the ratio of χ2 to df.

dRMSEA: root-mean-square error of approximation.

eRMR: root-mean-square residual.

fPGFI: parsimonious goodness-of-fit index.

gPNFI: parsimonious normed fit index.

hPCFI: parsimony comparative fit index.

iSRMR: standardized root-mean-square residual.

Table 5. Discriminant validity of both the Health-ITUES-Ra and the Health-ITUES-Pb,c.
DimensionsHealth-ITUES-RHealth-ITUES-P

D1dD2eD3fD4gD1D2D3D4
D10.738h0.806
D20.4840.6910.7470.746
D30.2150.2480.7960.4610.5450.762
D40.2370.2100.6020.7260.5940.7020.6300.804

aHealth-ITUES-R, Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).

bHealth-ITUES-P, Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version).

cThe values on the diagonal are the square root of average variance extracted.

dD1: dimension 1 (impact).

eD2: dimension 2 (perceived usefulness).

fD3: dimension 3 (perceived ease of use).

gD4: dimension 4 (user control).

hNot applicable.

Table 6. HTMTa values between the 4D of both the Health-ITUES-Rb and the Health-ITUES-Pc.
HTMT valuesHealth-ITUES-RHealth-ITUES-P
Impact-perceived usefulness0.5060.845
Impact-perceived ease of use0.2400.463
Impact-user control0.2620.604
Perceived usefulness-perceived ease of use0.2810.589
Perceived usefulness-user control0.2140.753
Perceived ease of use-user control0.6310.687

aHTMT: Heterotrait-Monotrait.

bHealth-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (care receiver version).

cHealth-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (professional health care provider version).

Table 7. Criterion validity of the Health-ITUES-Ra concerning the patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health app.
Health-ITUES-RPatient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health app

UsefulnessEase of useSystem or
interface
ReliabilityUsage attitudeUsage tendencyOverall scale
Impact0.383b0.1810.288b0.275b0.323b0.317b0.389b
Perceived usefulness0.587b0.222c0.320b0.401b0.531b0.492b0.563b
Perceived ease of use0.453b0.647b0.417b0.0870.492b0.393b0.576b
User control0.456b0.406b0.310b0.1070.368b0.335b0.452b
Overall scale0.696b0.546b0.488b0.330b0.657b0.580b0.743b

aHealth-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Care Receiver Version).

bP<.01.

cP<.05.


Principal Findings

Based on the original Health-ITUES, we meticulously translated and culturally adapted it to develop the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES. The validation test conducted among the main users of the SMART system (older people and nurses) confirmed satisfactory reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES in evaluating the usability of digital health apps. To our understanding, this represents the first exploration of a valid usability evaluation instrument specifically designed for digital health apps considering both care receivers and professional health care providers in China, which can provide evidence supporting the use of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES as a validated tool for evaluating the usability of digital health apps.

Following the guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures [Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000;25(24):3186-3191. [CrossRef] [Medline]20], we carefully selected appropriate translators for both forward and back translations of the Health-ITUES and determined the Chinese version through numerous rounds of discussions within the research team [Baattaiah BA, Alharbi MD, Khan F, Aldhahi MI. Translation and population-based validation of the Arabic version of the brief resilience scale. Ann Med. 2023;55(1):2230887. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]40]. Simultaneously, our iterative modification process under consultations with the expert panel until obtaining verification of the original author, enabled us to adjust the dimensions and items from a professional perspective and ensure that the original meanings of the Health-ITUES items were retained, thereby improving the effectiveness and practicality of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES [Meloney LG, Ahmed H, Bierer BE. Review of diversity, equity, and inclusion by ethics committees: A Delphi consensus statement. Med. 2023;4(8):497-504. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]41].

Furthermore, the customized Health-ITUES-R and Health-ITUES-P were validated as effective tools with good content validity, internal consistency reliability, and discriminant validity in measuring the usability of the SMART system. The CFA results also indicated an adequate structure validity, except for a slightly higher RMSEA value of the Health-ITUES-P. It is worth noting that the RMSEA value is calculated based on non-centrality parameters for representing the absolute measure of fit, and its calculation heavily depends on the sample size [Hair J, Black W, Babin BYA, Anderson R, Tatham R. Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall; 2010. 42,Lam SC, Chan ZSL, Chong ACY, Wong WWC, Ye J. Adaptation and validation of richmond compulsive buying scale in Chinese population. J Behav Addict. 2018;7(3):760-769. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]43]. Models with smaller sample sizes were generally believed with the potential to artificially large RMSEA values, which can explain the overestimated RMSEA value in our validation test to some extent [Kenny DA, Kaniskan B, McCoach DB. The performance of RMSEA in models with small degrees of freedom. Sociological Methods & Research. 2014;44(3):486-507. [CrossRef]44]. Regarding the convergent validity, the slightly lower AVE value for the second dimension in the Health-ITUES-R (0.478) could be attributed to the limited understanding and short usage time of the SMART system among older individuals. This may result in less precise responses to the 9 questions in this dimension and a lower AVE value [Collyer TA, Murray AM, Woods RL, Storey E, Chong TT, Ryan J, et al. Association of dual decline in cognition and gait speed with risk of dementia in older adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2214647. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]45]. In addition, the Health-ITUES-R exhibited high criterion validity compared to the patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health apps.

To the best of our knowledge, our study, for the first time, formulated the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES and validated its utility for evaluating the usability of digital health apps in the Chinese context by considering both care receivers and professional health care providers [Ergonomic Requirements for Office Work With Visual Display Terminals (VDTs)-Part 11: Guidance on Usability. 1998. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/16883.html [accessed 2021-11-19] 8]. In addition to the commonly used validation measures such as content validity, internal consistency reliability, structure validity, and criterion validity, we also examined the convergent and discriminant validity for a comprehensive validation of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES. Given its strong psychometric properties, we postulate that the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES can serve as a valuable instrument in evaluating the usability of digital health apps for both professional health care providers and receivers.

Limitations

There are several limitations in this study. First, the validation of the Chinese version of the Health-ITUES relied on the SMART system, a platform designed for personalized integrated home-based older care, while the Health-ITUES applies to all types of digital health apps. Consequently, it cannot be ruled out that the validation results could have differed with another app. Second, there may be a selection bias in the sample selection, since the validation tests were conducted in the geriatric ward of a comprehensive hospital, where individuals tended to spend more time using digital health apps to manage their health status compared to the general population [Brands MR, Gouw SC, Beestrum M, Cronin RM, Fijnvandraat K, Badawy SM. Patient-centered digital health records and their effects on health outcomes: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2022;24(12):e43086. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]46]. Furthermore, our validation study was constrained by relatively small sample sizes and inadequate usage time of the SMART system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The generalizability of the findings should be approached with caution. Further research with a larger sample and adequate usage time of the digital health apps is needed.

Conclusions

This study formulated a Chinese version of the Health-ITUES with satisfactory reliability and validity in evaluating the usability of the digital health apps for both care receivers and professional health care providers. The Chinese version of the Health-ITUES can serve as a valuable tool to identify reliable and effective digital health apps for end users. Future research focusing on the validation of the Health-ITUES in diverse cultural contexts and settings is crucial for enhancing its applicability and effectiveness across different populations.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the experts for their professional suggestions on the whole translation, cultural adaption, and customization of the scale. In addition, we extend our sincere gratitude to all the older participants and nurses involved in the validation test and acknowledge the support from the geriatric ward of a comprehensive hospital in Beijing, China.

This research was supported by a grant (CX23YZ02) from the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing, and the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72034005). The funding source had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data explanation, or manuscript writing.

No generative artificial intelligence tools were used.

Data Availability

The datasets generated or analyzed during this study are not publicly available due to ethical and legal restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Authors' Contributions

RG conducted the formal Analysis and wrote the original draft, ZZ collected the data and participated in the data analysis process, FY designed the study, and YW conceptualized the methodology, reviewed the manuscript, and supervised the whole process. FY and YW, as corresponding authors, made equal contributions to this study.

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

Multimedia Appendix 1

Additional methods and results.

DOCX File , 194 KB

Multimedia Appendix 2

Reporting Guideline Checklist.

DOCX File , 25 KB

  1. Quesada-Caballero M, Carmona-García A, Chami-Peña S, Caballero-Mateos AM, Fernández-Martín O, Cañadas-De la Fuente GA, et al. Telemedicine in elderly hypertensive and patients with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med. 2023;12(19):6160. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  2. Giebel GD, Speckemeier C, Abels C, Plescher F, Börchers K, Wasem J, et al. Problems and barriers related to the use of digital health applications: scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25:e43808. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  3. Number of mHealth apps available in the google play store from 1st quarter 2015 to 1st quarter. Statistia. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/779919/health-apps-available-google-play-worldwide/ [accessed 2022-01-07]
  4. Chen C, Ding S, Wang J. Digital health for aging populations. Nat Med. 2023;29(7):1623-1630. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  5. Xiong S, Lu H, Peoples N, Duman EK, Najarro A, Ni Z, et al. Digital health interventions for non-communicable disease management in primary health care in low-and middle-income countries. NPJ Digit Med. 2023;6(1):12. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  6. Shinohara Y, Yamamoto K, Ito M, Sakata M, Koizumi S, Hashisako M, et al. Development and validation of the Japanese version of the uMARS (user version of the mobile app rating system). Int J Med Inform. 2022;165:104809. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  7. Saliasi I, Martinon P, Darlington E, Smentek C, Tardivo D, Bourgeois D, et al. Promoting health via mHealth applications using a French version of the mobile app rating scale: adaptation and validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021;9(8):e30480. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  8. Ergonomic Requirements for Office Work With Visual Display Terminals (VDTs)-Part 11: Guidance on Usability. 1998. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/16883.html [accessed 2021-11-19]
  9. Hyzy M, Bond R, Mulvenna M, Bai L, Dix A, Leigh S, et al. System usability scale benchmarking for digital health apps: meta-analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2022;10(8):e37290. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  10. Brooke J. SUS - A Quick and Dirty Usability Scale. 1996. URL: https:/​/digital.​ahrq.gov/​sites/​default/​files/​docs/​survey/​systemusabilityscale%2528sus%2529_comp%255B1%255D.​pdf [accessed 2025-04-01]
  11. Chin J, Diehl V, Norman K. Development of an instrument measuring user satisfaction of the human-computer interface. ACM; 1998. Presented at: CHI '88: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; 1998 May 15 - 19:213-218; Human Factors in Computing Systems. [CrossRef]
  12. What is SUMI? Sumi. 2021. URL: http://sumi.uxp.ie/about/whatis.html, [accessed 2025-04-01]
  13. Computer System Usability Questionnaire[EB/OL]. URL: https://garyperlman.com/quest/quest.cgi, [accessed 2021-03-18]
  14. Harrati N, Bouchrika I, Tari A, Ladjailia A. Exploring user satisfaction for e-learning systems via usage-based metrics and system usability scale analysis. Computers in Human Behavior. 2016;61:463-471. [CrossRef]
  15. Yen PY, Wantland D, Bakken S. Development of a customizable health IT usability evaluation scale. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2010;2010:917-921. [FREE Full text] [Medline]
  16. Schnall R, Cho H, Liu J. Health information technology usability evaluation scale (Health-ITUES) for usability assessment of mobile health technology: validation study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(1):e4. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  17. Brown W, Yen P, Rojas M, Schnall R. Assessment of the health IT usability evaluation model (Health-ITUEM) for evaluating mobile health (mHealth) technology. J Biomed Inform. 2013;46(6):1080-1087. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  18. Yen P, Sousa KH, Bakken S. Examining construct and predictive validity of the health-IT usability evaluation scale: confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling results. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014;21(e2):e241-e248. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  19. Lee J, Schnall R. Validity and reliability of the Korean version of the health information technology usability evaluation scale: psychometric evaluation. JMIR Med Inform. 2022;10(1):e28621. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  20. Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000;25(24):3186-3191. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  21. Yen PY, Bakken S. Review of health information technology usability study methodologies. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2012;19(3):413-422. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  22. Wan F, Yang L, Zhou N, He Y. Construction of learning objectives and content for newly graduated nurses in tertiary teaching hospitals: A Delphi study. Nurse Educ Today. 2023;121:105716. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  23. NSFC. URL: https://kd.nsfc.cn/fundingProjectInit [accessed 2025-04-01]
  24. Xinlin X, Jinxiu J, Qian X. Survey of health information acquisition and use of neurological patients based on mobile "internet plus". Chinese Nursing Research. 2018;32(4):624-628. [CrossRef]
  25. Huijuan. The development of patient acceptance questionnaire for mobile health application. China Digital Medicine,13 (6). 2018;13(6):7-9. [CrossRef]
  26. Liu J, Wang Y, Shi XY, Liu XY, Cui CH, Qin L, et al. Analysis of current situation regarding scientific fitness literacy of nurses in sports medicine integration. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2022;15:1831-1841. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  27. Weber F, Kloek C, Stuhrmann S, Blum Y, Grüneberg C, Veenhof C. Usability and preliminary effectiveness of an app-based physical activity and education program for people with hip or knee osteoarthritis - a pilot randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Res Ther. 2024;26(1):83. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  28. Pavlou M, Flavell C, Gourtani F, Nikitas C, Kikidis D, Bibas A, et al. Feasibility and acceptability of the HOLObalance telerehabilitation system compared with standard care for older adults at risk of falls: the HOLOBalance assessor blinded pilot randomised controlled study. Age Ageing. 2024;53(10). [CrossRef] [Medline]
  29. Polit DF, Beck CT, Owen SV. Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Res Nurs Health. 2007;30(4):459-467. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  30. Guo Z, Ding C, Gao W, Hong J, Tang J, Zhang Y, et al. Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of attitudes and beliefs about cardiovascular disease risk perception questionnaire. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):20241. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  31. Cho SM, Choi J. Integral leadership in nursing: development and psychometric validation of a Korean version of the integral nursing leadership scale. Int J Nurs Stud. 2024;152:104697. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  32. Li J, Liu P, Zhang Y, Wang G, Zhou Y, Xing Y, et al. Development of the clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in Chinese older adults. J Frailty Aging. 2024;13(2):125-130. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  33. Shelley L, Jones C, Pearson E, Richards C, Crawford H, Paricos A, et al. Measurement tools for behaviours that challenge and behavioural function in people with intellectual disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis of internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. Clin Psychol Rev. 2024;110:102434. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  34. Nur Zati Iwani AK, Jalaludin MY, Yahya A, Mansor F, Md Zain F, Hong JYH, et al. TG: HDL-C ratio as insulin resistance marker for metabolic syndrome in children with obesity. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:852290. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  35. Islam MA, Iffat W, Imam S, Shakeel S, Rasheed A, Naqvi AA. Translation and validation of the Sindhi version of the general medication adherence scale in patients with chronic diseases. Front Pharmacol. 2023;14:1235032. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  36. Ghanavati S, Baradaran HR, Kamran Soltani Arabshahi S, Bigdeli S. Developing and validating of the clinical uncertainty measurement questionnaire (CUMQ) among practicing physicians and clinical residents in Iran. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):462. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  37. Chen L, Yang N, Huang Y, Xi X. Development and validation of pharmaceutical care barriers scale in Chinese hospitals: a cross-sectional survey. Front Pharmacol. 2023;14:1194901. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  38. Sharif-Nia H, Ahmadzadeh Tori N, Behmanesh F, Ghaffari F, Pourreza A. Development and psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire on the contributing factors of tendency towards voluntary single-childedness and childlessness: a mixed method study. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):1305. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  39. Yüksel R, Arslantaş H, Dereboy F, Kizilkaya M, Inalkaç S. Validity and reliability study of mental health recovery measure's Turkish version. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2023;34(2):110-117. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  40. Baattaiah BA, Alharbi MD, Khan F, Aldhahi MI. Translation and population-based validation of the Arabic version of the brief resilience scale. Ann Med. 2023;55(1):2230887. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  41. Meloney LG, Ahmed H, Bierer BE. Review of diversity, equity, and inclusion by ethics committees: A Delphi consensus statement. Med. 2023;4(8):497-504. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  42. Hair J, Black W, Babin BYA, Anderson R, Tatham R. Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall; 2010.
  43. Lam SC, Chan ZSL, Chong ACY, Wong WWC, Ye J. Adaptation and validation of richmond compulsive buying scale in Chinese population. J Behav Addict. 2018;7(3):760-769. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  44. Kenny DA, Kaniskan B, McCoach DB. The performance of RMSEA in models with small degrees of freedom. Sociological Methods & Research. 2014;44(3):486-507. [CrossRef]
  45. Collyer TA, Murray AM, Woods RL, Storey E, Chong TT, Ryan J, et al. Association of dual decline in cognition and gait speed with risk of dementia in older adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2214647. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  46. Brands MR, Gouw SC, Beestrum M, Cronin RM, Fijnvandraat K, Badawy SM. Patient-centered digital health records and their effects on health outcomes: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2022;24(12):e43086. [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]


AVE: average variance extracted
Ca: judgment coefficient
CFA: confirmatory factor analysis
CITC: corrected item-total correlation coefficient
Cr: authority coefficient
CR: composite reliability
Cs: familiarity coefficient
CSUQ: Computer System Usability Questionnaire
EFA: exploratory factor analysis
Health-ITUES: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale
Health-ITUES-P: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale—professional health care provider version
Health-ITUES-R: Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale—care receiver version
HTMT: Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio
I-CVI: item-level content validity index
PCFI: parsimonious comparative fit index
PGFI: parsimonious goodness-of-fit index
PNFI: parsimonious normed fit index
PSSUQ: Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire
RMR: root-mean-square residual
RMSEA: root-mean-square error of approximation
S-CVI: scale-content validity index
SRMR: standardized root-mean-square residual
STROBE: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology
SUS: System Usability Scale


Edited by T de Azevedo Cardoso; submitted 24.10.24; peer-reviewed by K Mouloudj, C Fatoye; comments to author 27.12.24; revised version received 01.01.25; accepted 27.01.25; published 02.05.25.

Copyright

©Rongrong Guo, Ziling Zheng, Fangyu Yang, Ying Wu. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 02.05.2025.

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 the Journal of Medical Internet Research (ISSN 1438-8871), is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.