scholarly journals The Web-Based Physician is Ready to See You: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey of Physicians Using a Mobile Medical App to Evaluate Patients With Sexually Transmitted Diseases in China

10.2196/10531 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e10531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bolin Cao ◽  
Peipei Zhao ◽  
Cedric Bien-Gund ◽  
Weiming Tang ◽  
Jason J Ong ◽  
...  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bolin Cao ◽  
Peipei Zhao ◽  
Cedric Bien-Gund ◽  
Weiming Tang ◽  
Jason J Ong ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Web-based medical service provision is increasingly becoming common. However, it remains unclear how physicians are responding to this trend and how Web-based and offline medical services are linked. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to examine physicians’ use of mobile medical apps for sexually transmitted disease (STD) consultations and identify the physicians who frequently use mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD. METHODS In August 2017, we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey among physicians registered on a mobile medical app in China. We collected data on physicians’ demographic information, institutional information, and Web-based medical practices. We compared physicians who used mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD frequently (at least once a week) with infrequent users. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify physicians who frequently evaluated patients with STD on mobile medical apps. RESULTS A total of 501 physicians participated in the survey. Among them, three-quarters were men and the average age was 37.6 (SD 8.2) years. Nearly all physicians (492/501, 98.2%) recommended their last Web-based patient with STD to subsequently see a physician in the clinic. More than half (275/501, 54.9%) of physicians recommended STD testing to Web-based patients, and 43.9% (220/501) provided treatment advice to patients with STD. Of all physicians, 21.6% (108/501) used mobile medical apps to evaluate patients with STD through Web more than once a week. Overall, 85.2% (427/501) physicians conducted follow-up consultation for patients with STD using mobile medical apps. Physicians working at institutions with STD prevention materials were associated with frequent evaluation of patients with STD on mobile medical apps (adjusted odds ratio=2.10, 95% CI 1.18-3.74). CONCLUSIONS Physicians use mobile medical apps to provide a range of services, including Web-based pre- and posttreatment consultations and linkage to offline clinical services. The high rates of referral to clinics suggest that mobile medical apps are used to promote clinic-seeking, and not replace it. Physicians’ use of mobile medical apps could benefit sexual minorities and others who avoid formal clinic-based services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Bannour ◽  
B Bannour ◽  
R Frigui ◽  
R Bannour ◽  
H Kheiri

Abstract Introduction In Tunisia sexuality education is a subject that is little discussed in institutions and schools, hence its marginal place in the school curriculum and even if it is addressed, it mainly concerns reproduction and risk prevention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of law university students regarding sexually transmitted diseases. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 law school students in Sousse, Tunisia. The instruments used for assessment was a pretested questionnaire contained questions evaluating knowledge and attitude towards STD and AIDS. Questions had multiple responses from which each respondent was asked to select the most appropriate one. Results Our sample consisted of 300 students, the majority were female (75.3%). The mean age was 22.30 years old. More than 75% of surveyed students did not discuss the subject of sexuality with their parents. The main sources of information for the students were the internet 48.3% followed by media 47% and friends 20%; health professional represents only 10.3%. Concerning the identification of risky sexual behavior 56.6% of the students identified multiple partner's sex and 45.7% the non-use of the condom. AIDS comes first among the STD cited by the majority of students surveyed (92%) followed by syphilis (6%). Despite that the majority of our participants knew the signs of STD; such as genital ulcer, urethral / vaginal discharge. False beliefs persist such as chest pain (13.3%) and headache (13.1%). 60.7% f our student reported genital cancers as complication to STD, 32.7% infertility. Some minorities (2.7%) thought that STD could be complicated by blindness. Conclusions Despite the high prevalence of STD among young adults, most students knew very little about those infections. Implementing sexual educational programs and measuring their effectiveness should be a priority. Key messages There is a huge lack of knowledge about sexually Transmitted diseases among Tunisian college students. Implementing sexual educational programs and measuring their effectiveness should be a priority.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Hanai ◽  
Tappei Morino ◽  
Yuki Shinohara ◽  
Tomoki Aoyama ◽  
Tadao Tsuboyama

Health-related web content is constantly increasing, and cancer survivors use it to manage their health and activities of daily living. However, the actual usage of and satisfaction with web contents among cancer survivors is unclear. Therefore, we conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey to understand the satisfaction with web content in those cancer survivors who use the Internet to cope with their anxiety/stress, sleeplessness, or cognitive difficulties. The survey questionnaire was e-mailed to 1.2 million voluntary registrants at a research company. Cancer survivors who accessed any content via the Internet and experienced anxiety/stress, sleeplessness, or cognitive difficulties were included in the study. Out of the 412 survivors who completed the survey, 357 experienced some degree of anxiety or stress, 258 experienced sleeplessness, and 161 experienced some cognitive difficulties, such as forgetfulness or lack of attention. They used web contents to record their health or (n = 205), relieve their anxiety or stress (n = 238), and devise activities of daily living (n = 232) during cancer therapy, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The web contents included “interactive contents” (users engage with the web content by responding to it in some form), “non-interactive contents” (information medium without any user engagement), “web-storage,” or “scrolling.” Multivariate logistic regression revealed greater satisfaction with “interactive contents” in cancer survivors. This reflects that the sharing of personal experiences as well as objective information should be considered to create satisfying and effective web contents.


1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 636-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
M O Diallo ◽  
V Ettiegne-Traore ◽  
M Maran ◽  
J Kouadio ◽  
K Brattegaard ◽  
...  

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women attending an antenatal clinic in Abidjan to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infection, and to identify factors associated with the presence of gonococcal and/or chlamydial cervical infection. Among 546 women, 3.7% had a gonococcal infection and 5.5% had a chlamydial infection. The seroprevalence of syphilis and HIV was 1.1% and 16.2% respectively. Gonococcal and/or chlamydial cervical infection was associated with young age, the presence of endocervical mucopus and with more than 10 polymorphonuclear leucocytes per high power field in a vaginal smear. None of these associated factors had a large enough predictive value to allow its use as a diagnostic criterion. Sexually transmitted diseases are common in pregnant women in Abidjan. The development of rapid, inexpensive diagnostic tests for STD is a priority to improve the care of women attending antenatal clinics in the developing world.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Brigo ◽  
Simona Lattanzi ◽  
Giorgia Giussani ◽  
Laura Tassi ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Kranthi Swaroop Koonisetty ◽  
Ubydul Haque ◽  
Rajesh Nandy ◽  
Nasrin Aghamohammadi ◽  
Tamanna Urmi ◽  
...  

Dengue fever is one of the most important viral infections transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Accurate identification of cases and treatment of dengue patients at the early stages can reduce medical complications and dengue mortality rate. This survey aims to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) among physicians in dengue diagnosis and treatment. This study was conducted among physicians in Turkey as one nonendemic country and Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia as three dengue-endemic countries. The dosing frequencies, maximum doses, and contraindications in dengue fever were examined. The results found that physicians from Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia have higher KAP scores in dengue diagnosis and treatment compared to physicians in Turkey. This may be due to a lack of physician’s exposure to a dengue patient as Turkey is considered a nonendemic country. This assessment may help establish a guideline for intervention strategies among physicians to have successful treatment outcomes and reduce dengue mortality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 229255032110300
Author(s):  
Caroline F. Illmann ◽  
Christopher Doherty ◽  
Margaret Wheelock ◽  
Joshua Vorstenbosch ◽  
Joan E. Lipa ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented challenges and restrictions in surgical access across Canada, including for breast reconstructive services which are an integral component of comprehensive breast cancer care. We sought to determine how breast reconstructive services are being restricted, and what strategies may be employed to optimize the provision of breast reconstruction through a pan-Canadian evaluation from the providers’ perspective. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of Canadian plastic and reconstructive surgeons who perform breast reconstruction. The 33-item web-based questionnaire was developed by a pan-Canadian working group of breast reconstruction experts and disseminated via email to members of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgery. The questionnaire queried respondents on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions on surgeons’ breast reconstruction practice patterns and opinions on strategies for resource utilization. Results: Responses were received from 49 surgeons, who reported practicing in 8 of 10 Canadian provinces. Restrictions on the provision of breast reconstructive procedures were most limited during the First Wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, where all respondents reported at least some reduction in capacity and more than a quarter reporting complete cessation. Average reported reduction in capacity ranged from 31% to 78% across all 3 waves. Autologous, delayed, and prophylactic reconstructions were most commonly restricted. Conclusion: This study provides a pan-Canadian impact assessment on breast reconstructive services during the COVID-19 pandemic from the providers’ perspective. To uphold the standards of patient-centred care, a unified approach to strategically reorganize health care delivery now and in the future is needed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Nele Hockamp ◽  
Constanze Burak ◽  
Erika Sievers ◽  
Silvia Rudloff ◽  
Anja Burmann ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the current state of breast-feeding promotion in hospitals and the prevalence of breast-feeding during the first year of life in Germany and to compare the results with a study 20 years earlier. Design: In the studies on ‘breast-feeding and infant nutrition in Germany’ named ‘SuSe’, a cross-sectional survey in hospitals was combined with a subsequent prospective survey of breast-feeding and infant nutrition during the first year of life (0·5, 2, 4, 6 and 12 months after birth) in mother–infant pairs who were recruited in the hospitals. Written questionnaires and phone calls were used in SuSe I and web-based questionnaires in SuSe II. Breast-feeding promotion and prevalence were evaluated using recommendations from the WHO and the UNICEF. Setting: Two nationwide surveys SuSe I (1997–1998) and SuSe II (2017–2019). Participants: In SuSe I, 177 hospitals and 1717 mother–infant pairs and in SuSe II 109 hospitals and 962 mother–infant pairs were included. Results: In SuSe II, hospitals implemented seven of the WHO ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’ to a greater extent than the hospitals in SuSe I. More mothers exclusively breastfed for 4 months (57 % v. 33 %) and continued breast-feeding until 6 (78 % v. 48 %) and 12 months (41 % v. 13 %). In both studies, exclusive breast-feeding decreased between 4 and 6 months of age due to the introduction of complementary feeding. Conclusions: In Germany, breast-feeding habits have come closer to the recommendations over the last 20 years.


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