@Article{info:doi/10.2196/52540,
author="Santos-Silva, Catarina
and Ferreira-Cardoso, Henrique
and Silva, S{\'o}nia
and Vieira-Marques, Pedro
and Valente, Jos{\'e} Carlos
and Almeida, Rute
and A Fonseca, Jo{\~a}o
and Santos, Cristina
and Azevedo, In{\^e}s
and J{\'a}come, Cristina",
title="Feasibility and Acceptability of Pediatric Smartphone Lung Auscultation by Parents: Cross-Sectional Study",
journal="JMIR Pediatr Parent",
year="2024",
month="Apr",
day="8",
volume="7",
pages="e52540",
keywords="respiratory sounds; respiratory; respiration; lung; lungs; pulmonary; breathing; sound; sounds; wheeze; crackle; child; children; pediatric; pediatrics; parent; parents; parenting; asthma; auscultation; smartphone; mobile applications; mHealth; mobile health; app; apps; applications; crackles; wheezes; wheezing; participation; patient participation; willingness; adoption; acceptance; usability; attitude; attitudes; opinion; perception; perceptions; smartphones; intent; ease of use; survey; surveys; questionnaire; questionnaires; mobile phone",
abstract="Background: The use of a smartphone built-in microphone for auscultation is a feasible alternative to the use of a stethoscope, when applied by physicians. Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to assess the feasibility of this technology when used by parents---the real intended end users. Methods: Physicians recruited 46 children (male: n=33, 72{\%}; age: mean 11.3, SD 3.1 y; children with asthma: n=24, 52{\%}) during medical visits in a pediatric department of a tertiary hospital. Smartphone auscultation using an app was performed at 4 locations (trachea, right anterior chest, and right and left lung bases), first by a physician (recordings: n=297) and later by a parent (recordings: n=344). All recordings (N=641) were classified by 3 annotators for quality and the presence of adventitious sounds. Parents completed a questionnaire to provide feedback on the app, using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (``totally disagree'') to 5 (``totally agree''). Results: Most recordings had quality (physicians' recordings: 253/297, 85.2{\%}; parents' recordings: 266/346, 76.9{\%}). The proportions of physicians' recordings (34/253, 13.4{\%}) and parents' recordings (31/266, 11.7{\%}) with adventitious sounds were similar. Parents found the app easy to use (questionnaire: median 5, IQR 5-5) and were willing to use it (questionnaire: median 5, IQR 5-5). Conclusions: Our results show that smartphone auscultation is feasible when performed by parents in the clinical context, but further investigation is needed to test its feasibility in real life. ",
issn="2561-6722",
doi="10.2196/52540",
url="https://pediatrics.jmir.org/2024/1/e52540",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/52540"
}