Perspectives on the Gamification of an Interactive Health Technology for Postoperative Rehabilitation of Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: User-Centered Design Approach

Abstract

Background: Pediatric and adolescent athletes are a large demographic undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R). Postoperative rehabilitation is critical, requiring patients to complete home exercise programs (HEPs). To address obstacles to HEP adherence, we developed an interactive health technology, interACTION (iA), to monitor knee-specific rehabilitation. iA is a web-based platform that incorporates wearable motion sensors and a mobile app that provides feedback and allows remote monitoring. The Wheel of Sukr is a gamification mechanism that includes numerous behavioral elements.

Objective: This study aims to use a user-centered design process to incorporate behavioral change strategies derived from self-management theory into iA using the Wheel of Sukr, with the aim of influencing patient behavior.

Methods: In total, 10 athletes aged 10-18 years with a history of ACL-R were included in this study. Patients were between 4 weeks and 1 year post-ACL-R. Participants underwent a 60-minute triphasic interview. Phase 1 focused on elements of gaming that led to high participation and information regarding surgery and recovery. In phase 2, participants were asked to think aloud and rank cards representing the components of the Wheel of Sukr in order of interest. In phase 3, the patients reviewed the current version of iA. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and checked for accuracy. Qualitative content analysis segmented the data and tagged meaningful codes until descriptive redundancy was achieved; next, 2 coders independently coded the data set. These elements were categorized according to the Wheel of Sukr framework. The mean age of participants was 12.8 (SD 1.32) years, and 70% (7/10) were female. Most participants (7/10, 70%) reported attending sessions twice weekly. All patients were prescribed home exercises. Self-reported HEP compliance was 75%-100% in 40% (4/10), 50%-75% in 40% (4/10), and 25%-50% of prescribed exercises in 20% (2/10) of the participants.

Results: The participants responded positively to an app that could track home exercises. Desirable features included exercise demonstrations, motivational components, and convenience. The participants listed sports specificity, competition, notifications, reminders, rewards, and social aspects of gameplay as features to incorporate. In the Wheel of Sukr card sort exercise, motivation was ranked first; self-management, second; and growth, esteem, and fun tied for the third position. The recommended gameplay components closely followed the themes from the Wheel of Sukr card sort activity.

Conclusions: The participants believe iA is a helpful addition to recovery and want the app to include exercise movement tracking and encouragement. Despite the small number of participants, thematic saturation was reached, suggesting the sample was sufficient to obtain a representative range of perspectives. Future work will implement motivation; self-management; and growth, confidence, and fun in the iA user experience. Young athlete ACL-R patients will complete typical clinical scenarios using increasingly developed prototypes of the gamified iA in a controlled setting.

Keywords: ACL; IHT; gamification; health technology; orthopaedics; pediatric; rehabilitation; sports medicine.