scholarly journals Assessment of eHealth behaviors in national surveys: a systematic review of instruments

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1675-1684
Author(s):  
Y Alicia Hong ◽  
Jinmyoung Cho

Abstract Objectives To conduct a systematic review of instruments used in national surveys of eHealth behaviors. Materials and Methods Major databases and websites of federal agencies were searched with pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. National surveys with measures of eHealth behaviors were identified. The survey instruments were retrieved, and their measures of eHealth behaviors were categorized and critiqued. Results We located 13 national surveys containing eHealth behavior assessment questions that were administered from 1999 to 2017. Most surveys were conducted annually or biennially and typically covered topics on searching health information, obtaining social support, communicating with healthcare providers, and buying medicine online; recent surveys included items related to personal health management and use of mobile tools. There were redundant measures of searching health information online but insufficient measures of use of mobile apps, social media, and wearable devices. Discussion Future assessment of eHealth behaviors should reflect the growing varieties of behaviors enabled by technology development and reflect the current mobile ownership patterns in diverse social groups. More studies also need to include longitudinal surveys, integrative and standardized measures, and better designs to allow data linkage and comparison. Conclusion The existing survey instruments covering eHealth behaviors are rather limited compared to fast technological progress. We call for more national surveys on eHealth behaviors that are more responsive to technology development; we also advocate for more analysis and dissemination of existing national data on eHealth behaviors for evidence-based health policies.

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish Kumar ◽  
Javed Mostafa ◽  
Rohit Ramaswamy

Health information systems (HIS) in India, as in most other developing countries, support public health management but fail to enable healthcare providers to use data for delivering quality services. Such a failure is surprising, given that the population healthcare data that the system collects are aggregated from patient records. An important reason for this failure is that the health information architecture (HIA) of the HIS is designed primarily to serve the information needs of policymakers and program managers. India has recognised the architectural gaps in its HIS and proposes to develop an integrated HIA. An enabling HIA that attempts to balance the autonomy of local systems with the requirements of a centralised monitoring agency could meet the diverse information needs of various stakeholders. Given the lack of in-country knowledge and experience in designing such an HIA, this case study was undertaken to analyse HIS in the Bihar state of India and to understand whether it would enable healthcare providers, program managers and policymakers to use data for decision-making. Based on a literature review and data collected from interviews with key informants, this article proposes a federated HIA, which has the potential to improve HIS efficiency; provide flexibility for local innovation; cater to the diverse information needs of healthcare providers, program managers and policymakers; and encourage data-based decision-making.


Author(s):  
Danae Dinkel ◽  
Jennifer Harsh Caspari ◽  
Louis Fok ◽  
Maxine Notice ◽  
David J Johnson ◽  
...  

Abstract The use of mobile applications or “apps” is beginning to be identified as a potential cost-effective tool for treating depression. While the use of mobile apps for health management appears promising, little is known on how to incorporate these tools into integrated primary care settings—especially from the viewpoints of patients and the clinic personnel. The purpose of this study was to explore patient- and clinic-level perceptions of the use of depression self-management apps within an integrated primary care setting. Patients (n = 17), healthcare providers, and staff (n = 15) completed focus groups or semi-structured interviews in-person or via Zoom between January and July 2020. Participants were asked about barriers and facilitators to app use, how to best integrate it into care, and reviewed pre-selected mental health apps. Data were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. From a patient perspective, features within the app such as notifications, the provision of information, easy navigation, and a chat/support function as well as an ability to share data with their doctor were desirable. Providers and staff identified integration of app data into electronic health records to be able to share data with patients and the healthcare team as well as clear evidence of effectiveness as factors that could facilitate implementation. All participants who reviewed apps identified at least one of them they would be interested in continuing to use. Overall, patients, healthcare providers, and staff believed depression apps could be beneficial for both patients and the clinic.


Author(s):  
Shelagh K. Genuis

This qualitative paper explores how health information mediated by the internet and media is used and made valuable within the life of consumers managing non-crisis health challenges, and how informal information seeking and gathering influences self-positioning within patient-clinician relationships. Findings have implications for health information literacy and collaborative, patient-centred care.Cette étude qualitative explore comment l’information sur la santé relayée par Internet et les médias est utilisée et rendue utile dans le contexte de consommateurs gérant des problèmes médicaux non urgents, et comment la recherche et la collecte d’information informelles influencent l’auto-positionnement dans la relation patient clinicien. Les résultats ont des applications dans la maîtrise de l’information médicale et les soins collaboratifs centrés sur le patient.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Asilah Ahmad ◽  
Shahrul Azman Mohd Noah ◽  
Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Noorlaili Mohd Tohit

BACKGROUND Currently, the use of smartphones to deliver health-related content has experienced a rapid growth, with more than 165,000 mobile health (mHealth) applications currently available in the digital marketplace such as iOS store and Google Play. Among these, there are several mobile applications (mobile apps) that offer tools for disease prevention and management among older generations. These mobile apps could potentially promote health behaviors which will reduce or delay the onset of disease. However, no review to date that has focused on the app marketplace specific for older adults and little is known regarding its evidence-based quality towards the health of older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to characterize and critically appraise the content and functionality of mobile apps that focuses on health management and/or healthy lifestyle among older adults. METHODS An electronic search was conducted between May 2019 to December 2019 of the official app store for two major smartphone operating systems: iPhone operating system (iTunes App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). Stores were searched separately using predetermined search terms. Two authors screened apps based on information provided in the app description. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form. Evidenced based strategies and health care expert involvement of included apps was assessed. Evidenced based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, cognitive training and social support. Two authors verified the data with reference to the apps and downloaded app themselves. RESULTS A total of 16 apps met the inclusion criteria. Six out of 16 (37.5%) apps were designed exclusively for the iOS platform while ten out of 16 (62.5%) were designed for Android platform exclusively. Physical activity component was the most common feature offered in all the apps (9/16, 56.3%) and followed by cognitive training (8/16, 50.0%). Diet/nutrition (0/16, 0%) feature, however, was not offered on all reviewed mobile apps. Of reviewed apps, 56.3% (9/16) provide education, 37.5% (6/16) provide self-monitoring features, 18.8% (3/16) provide goal setting features, 18.5% (3/16) provide personalized feedback, 6.3% (1/16) provide social support and none of the reviewed apps offers heart rate monitoring and reminder features to the users. CONCLUSIONS All reviewed mobile apps for older adults in managing health did not focused on diet/nutrition component, lack of functional components and lack of health care professional involvement in their development process. There is also a need to carry out scientific testing prior to the development of the app to ensure cost effective and its health benefits to older adults. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, health professionals and patients are needed in developing evidence-based, high quality mobile apps in managing health prior they are made available in the app store.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa ◽  
Aliyu Rabiu Dansharif ◽  
Asiya Khan

2002 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-502
Author(s):  
Mary L. Durham

While the new Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA) research rules governing privacy, confidentiality and personal health information will challenge the research and medical communities, history teaches us that the difficulty of this challenge pales in comparison to the potential harms that such regulations are designed to avoid. Although revised following broad commentary from researchers and healthcare providers around the country, the HIPAA privacy requirements will dramatically change the way healthcare researchers do their jobs in the United States. Given our reluctance to change, we risk overlooking potentially valid reasons why access to personal health information is restricted and regulated. In an environment of electronic information, public concern, genetic information and decline of public trust, regulations are ever-changing. Six categories of HIPAA requirements stand out as transformative: disclosure accounting/tracking, business associations, institutional review board (IRB) changes, minimum necessary requirements, data de-identification, and criminal and civil penalties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabel Boyer ◽  
Yannick Begin ◽  
Julie Dupont ◽  
Mathieu Rousseau-Gagnon ◽  
Nicolas Fernandez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Health literacy refers to the ability of individuals to gain access to, use, and understand health information and services in order to maintain a good health. It is especially important in nephrology due to the complexity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study sought to define health literacy levels in patients followed in predialysis clinic, in-center dialysis (ICHD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and home hemodialysis (HHD). Methods This transversal monocentric observational study analysed 363 patients between October 2016 and April 2017. The Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) were used to measure health literacy. Multivariate linear regressions were used to compare the mean scores on the BHLS and HLQ, across the four groups. Results Patients on PD had a significantly higher BHLS’score than patients on ICHD (p = 0.04). HLQ’s scores differed across the groups: patients on HHD (p = 0.01) and PD (p = 0.002) were more likely to feel understood by their healthcare providers. Compared to ICHD, patients on HHD were more likely to have sufficient information to manage their health (p = 0.02), and patients in the predialysis clinic were more likely to report high abilities for health information appraisal (p < 0.001). Conclusion In a monocentric study, there is a significant proportion of CKD patients, especially in predialysis clinic and in-centre hemodialysis, with limited health literacy. Patients on home dialysis (HHD and PD) had a higher level of health literacy compared to the other groups.


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