Designing and evaluation of Smartphone-based educational application of neurodevelopmental treatment in children with cerebral palsy for occupational therapists

Background: Smartphone applications are used as one of the learning tools in the student's learning process. Learning Neurodevelopmental Treatment approaches is necessary for occupational and physical therapist and students. The aim of the study was to design, develop and evaluate a smartphone educational NDT application of children with cerebral palsy. Methods: : After assessing the requirements and holding a panel of experts, the content of the App was determined. Thirty occupational therapy students (control= 15 and intervention= 15) were included in the study. The intervention group, in addition to attending the traditional education, used the NDT App for two weeks. QUIS questionnaire was used to measure the usability of the software. Knowledge questionnaire was taken from students before and after intervention in both control and intervention groups. Results: : The average QUIS score, indicated a high level of usability for the target group. The results showed that, the scores of knowledge in the intervention group in all areas of the app except sleep and mobility were significantly higher than the control group. Conclusion: This study indicates that the developed App is usable for occupational therapy students and also improves students' knowledge about NDT approach of children with CP.