Browsing by Author "Smith, Ryan"

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    Feasibility and Usability of EnergyPoints: A Mobile Health App to Guide Acupressure Use for Cancer Symptom Management
    (Sage, 2024) Beck, Susan L.; Smith, Ryan; Mindes, Janet; Beck, Karl; Kim, JungYoon Leah; Weitzman, Matthew; Stone, Jennifer A. M.; Veleber, Susan; Dudley, William N.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objective: To examine the feasibility and usability of EnergyPoints™, an innovative mobile health app that teaches and guides people with cancer to implement daily acupressure to self-manage their fatigue and sleep disturbances. Methods and intervention: The study used an integrated agile, human-centered approach. Adults (age 18 years and over) with cancer experiencing at least moderate fatigue, and living in the Greater New York City community, were recruited from social media, patient advocacy groups, and referrals. Twenty participants (in 3 sprints of 3, 5, and 12) were video-recorded thinking aloud while using the app for the first time. They then used the app at home to self-administer acupressure (twice daily for 1 week) while continuously wearing a fitness tracker. Each participant completed an exit interview and modified Computer System Usability Questionnaire post-participation. Results: Participants were ages 40 to 76 years and 65% female; 65% were non-Hispanic white. Mean pass rates per ritual exceeded 80%. Users completed (totally or partially) greater than 90% of stimulating acupressure and 70% of relaxing acupressure rituals. Sprint 3 SPs totally completed at least 1 ritual 87% of the time. The majority agreed or strongly agreed the app was easy to use (90%), easy to learn (85%), easy to understand (75%), and effective in helping perform self-acupressure (85%). In an analysis of ease of completing 5 key tasks, all successfully completed the tasks; 3 users required some assistance. Of 654 usability statements, those coded as personal experience/context (197), content related to acupressure learning (105), and content related to the onboarding/profile (71) were most frequent. The design team integrated recommendations into the app before the next sprint. Conclusions: Findings supported feasibility and usability, as well as acceptability, and led to significant alterations and improvements. EnergyPoints™ offers an opportunity to mainstream acupressure and help cancer survivors self-manage their symptoms.
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    Stripping versus ligation of vas deferens in microscopic denervation of spermatic cord in men with chronic orchialgia: A multicenter study
    (Wiley, 2025) El-Achkar, Adnan; Hammad, Muhammed; Barham, David; Service, Chad A.; Patel, Darshan; Hsieh, Tung Chin; Mills, Jesse; Kianian, Reza; Eleswarapu, Sriram; Ziegelmann, Matthew; Smith, Ryan; Bryk, Darren; Bernie, Helen L.; Egert, Melissa; Raheem, Omer; Fendereski, Kiarad; Gross, Kelli; Pastuszak, Alex; Hotaling, James; Yafi, Faysal; Urology, School of Medicine
    Background: Microdenervation of the spermatic cord (MSCD) is an effective treatment modality for men with intractable scrotal content pain. For patients not interested in preserving fertility, some centers advocate ligation of the vas during denervation, while others prefer stripping of the vas deferens to preserve the vasal artery, hence preserving vasculature to the testis and possibly decreasing post-operative congestion pain. Objective: To compare outcomes of patients with chronic orchialgia, who underwent MSCD by either stripping or ligating the vas deferens. Materials and methods: A retrospective chart review of 85 patients who underwent MSCD from 2017-2023 was performed. Patients' demographics including history of prior surgical procedures were recorded. Response to surgery was evaluated as either complete resolution of pain, partial resolution of pain, or no improvement in pain. Results: Eighty-five patients underwent MSCD with a median (interquartile range, IQR) age of 36 (25.5-46.5) years and median duration of pain of 16 (6-31) months. Thirty-seven patients underwent stripping of vas, while 48 underwent ligation of vas during MSCD. Median follow up was 12 months. Twenty-one (43.5%) patients had prior inguinal scrotal surgery in the ligation group compared to 5 (13.5%) in the stripping group, p = 0.003. The etiology of pain was similar between the groups. The response to MSCD between the two groups was similar, 67.6% of patients who underwent stripping had complete resolution of pain versus 66.7% of those who had ligation (p = 0.968), with similar rates of post-operative complications (p-value = 0.132). Conclusions: In men with intractable chronic scrotal content pain with no interest in preserving fertility, ligation, or stripping of the vas deferens yields similar outcomes with regard to pain resolution. Both techniques are safe with no reports of any testicular atrophy.
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    TV Control
    (2017) Smith, Ryan; Farrow, Vance
    In my life, television has taken the on varying roles from teacher to entertainer, from salesman to charlatan, and though I have my issues with television, its presence has had such a profound impact on me, I find it difficult to imagine what life might be like or who I might be without it. Although television has been criticized as a problematic device which has a negative impact on society and its peoples, my thesis exhibition, TV Control, attempts to dereify the institution of television by taking over its medium, remodeling it and rethinking it in order to gain more transparency, greater control and a better understanding of television and our contemporary, media immersed world.