5 Application of the Inclusive eHealth Guide during the development of an eHealth intervention for and with cardiac patients with a low socioeconomic position 107 resource would enhance the guide’s utility. This table, which proved effective in our case study for organizing and evaluating the recommendations, could assist future researchers in similar tasks. Lastly, the study identifies three recommendations as particularly impactful: engaging the target group (D.1), allocating time and resources to reach them (R.12), and prioritizing usability (A.15). These were especially significant due to their direct relation to the lessons learned in the study. We suggest refining the IeG to elevate these recommendations to main principles. This approach could potentially extend their relevance beyond this specific case study to inclusive eHealth design in general. However, their broader applicability should be validated through future case studies in various contexts. 5.4.2 Strengths and limitations While the evaluation of the intervention was limited by its small sample size and lack of a direct comparison group with an intervention developed without the IeG, the initial positive reception in a typically hard-to-reach population may indicate a beneficial influence of the guide. We should note that this should be interpreted with caution. Future studies could strengthen these findings by directly comparing interventions developed with and without the IeG. Moreover, the intervention evaluation was limited to a brief interaction with a prototype rather than a full-scale intervention. The effectiveness of the intervention in a real-world setting remains untested. Our future research agenda includes a pilot evaluation where the intervention will be implemented on a small scale, providing a more comprehensive understanding of its feasibility, acceptance, and potential effectiveness. The pre-existing experience and engagement of the investigator with the contents of the IeG and the level of empathy toward the target group play a crucial role in the application process of the guide and the design process of the intervention respectively. Having been deeply involved with the target group for two years prior to this study as well as the development of the IeG, the level of empathy and intuition of the first author should be considered regarding the shaping of the guide application, intervention design, and design process. This level of engagement may have yielded a more nuanced understanding of the target group’s needs and preferences and may have influenced the utilization and positive evaluation of the guide. This therefore raises the question of whether professionals with less immersion or experience will utilize the guide in the same manner. While this initial exploration is an important first step, it also underscores the need for further research into the experiences of other professionals using the guide in other settings and addressing other target groups.
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