Development and perceived utility and impact of a skin care Internet intervention.

Pressure ulcers (PrUs) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) are a common, mostly preventable, skin complication with serious health consequences. This paper presents the development, theoretical bases, and perceived usefulness and effectiveness data for iSHIFTup.org, a skin care Internet intervention to prevent pressure ulcers in adults with SCI. Participants (n = 7) were, on average, 36 years old (SD = 10.09), tetraplegic (71%), paraplegic (29%), and caucasian (86%), with an average time since injury of 10.43 years (SD = 9.64 years). During the six weeks of program access, participants’ usage of the program was tracked and analyzed. Participants subsequently completed measures focused on usability, likeability, and usefulness (the Internet Evaluation and Utility Questionnaire; IEUQ), and on their perceptions of the impact of the program on targeted behaviors (using the Internet Impact and Effectiveness Questionnaire; IIEQ). Participants generally reported positive experiences using iSHIFTup, indicating it to be useful, effective, easy to use, and understandable. All participants reported that iSHIFTup helped them to manage their skin care, improved their skin care routine, and supported healthy skin care activities. A majority of users indicated that they were able to implement program recommendations, and all users believed the Internet was a good method for delivering pressure ulcer prevention programs. This is the first paper to focus on a skin care Internet intervention for adults with SCI.