The Impact of COVID-19 on the Prevalence and Perception of Telehealth Utilization. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Adnan Shamiyah ◽  
Simon Whitebridge ◽  
Nitya Kumar ◽  
Stephen Atkin ◽  
Khawla Fuad Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Patient Acceptability ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
Future Utility ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has emerged as a safer way to access healthcare. The telehealth industry has been rapidly expanding over the last decade as a modality to provide patient-centered care. However, the prevalence of its use and patient acceptability remains unclear in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. OBJECTIVE The primary aim was to assess the prevalence of telehealth use before and during the pandemic by utilizing social media (Instagram) as an online platform for survey administration across different countries simultaneously. Our secondary aim was to assess the perceptions regarding telehealth usage amongst those utilizing it. METHODS An online social media platform (Instagram) that reaches 130,000 subjects daily, was used to administer a questionnaire that assessed the current prevalence of telehealth use and public attitudes and acceptability towards this modality of healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS 1524 respondents participated in the survey (females 89.3%; age range 25-38) of whom 91.2% lived in the GCC. Prior to COVID-19, 1440 (88%) had no exposure to telehealth. Following the covid-19 pandemic telehealth usage increased by 237% to a total of 644 users (40%) (follow-up consultations (n=410, 47%); first-time consultations (n=348, 40%)) that was associated with older age (p=0.001), having one or more comorbidities (p=0.001), taking one or more pills (p=0.001), living in the GCC (p=0.003). Those who reported using telehealth (n=679), 247 (36.4%) reported their willingness to continue using telehealth, 254 (37.4%) were unsure and 178 (26.2%) did not wish to continue to use telehealth after the COVID19 pandemic. An inverse relationship between telehealth usage and the increasing number of medical comorbidities was shown (OR= 0.76, p= 0.023). Respondents using messaging or video telehealth usage were more likely recommend virtual visits than those who used audio calls (OR= 0.49, p= 0.024). Overall, there was general satisfaction with telehealth usage and respondents found telehealth to be equally effective to in-person visits. CONCLUSIONS Telehealth usage increased dramatically and was found to be acceptable though less so if there were other comorbidities; however, further innovation to increase telehealth acceptability is needed if this is to have greater future utility in healthcare delivery.

E-mental health: Updates on recent achievements and pitfalls

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S609-S609
Author(s):  
D. Hilty ◽  
A. Fiorillo ◽  
K. Krysta ◽  
M. Krausz ◽  
D. Mucic
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Pathological Internet Use ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
Competing Interest

The patient-centered care features quality, affordable, and timely care in a variety of settings – technology is a key part of that – particularly among younger generations and child and adolescent patients. The consumer movement related to new technologies is nearly passing clinicians by, as new ways of communicating with others (text, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook) revolutionizes how we experience life and access healthcare. This paper explores a continuum with healthy, innovative behavior on one end (e.g., social media) and pathological Internet use on the other end – and the range of self-help and e-mental healthcare options being used. Specifically, it focuses on how social media adds to, yet may complicate healthcare delivery, such that clinicians may need to adjust our approach to maintain therapeutic relationships, interpersonal/clinical boundaries, and privacy/confidentiality. We suggest planning ahead to discuss expectations about online communication between doctors and patients as part of the informed consent process, offer other do's and dont's for patients and clinicians, and review applicable guidelines. More research is needed on consumer and patient use of technology related to healthcare, as is an approach to basic and advanced measurement of outcomes.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Interoperability frameworks linking mHealth applications to electronic record systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kagiso Ndlovu ◽  
Maurice Mars ◽  
Richard E. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Electronic Record ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background mHealth presents innovative approaches to enhance primary healthcare delivery in developing countries like Botswana. The impact of mHealth solutions can be improved if they are interoperable with eRecord systems such as electronic health records, electronic medical records and patient health records. eHealth interoperability frameworks exist but their availability and utility for linking mHealth solutions to eRecords in developing world settings like Botswana is unknown. The recently adopted eHealth Strategy for Botswana recognises interoperability as an issue and mHealth as a potential solution for some healthcare needs, but does not address linking the two. Aim This study reviewed published reviews of eHealth interoperability frameworks for linking mHealth solutions with eRecords, and assessed their relevance to informing interoperability efforts with respect to Botswana’s eHealth Strategy. Methods A structured literature review and analysis of published reviews of eHealth interoperability frameworks was performed to determine if any are relevant to linking mHealth with eRecords. The Botswanan eHealth Strategy was reviewed. Results Four articles presented and reviewed eHealth interoperability frameworks that support linking of mHealth interventions to eRecords and associated implementation strategies. While the frameworks were developed for specific circumstances and therefore were based upon varying assumptions and perspectives, they entailed aspects that are relevant and could be drawn upon when developing an mHealth interoperability framework for Botswana. Common emerging themes of infrastructure, interoperability standards, data security and usability were identified and discussed; all of which are important in the developing world context such as in Botswana. The Botswana eHealth Strategy recognises interoperability, mHealth, and eRecords as distinct issues, but not linking of mHealth solutions with eRecords. Conclusions Delivery of healthcare is shifting from hospital-based to patient-centered primary healthcare and community-based settings, using mHealth interventions. The impact of mHealth solutions can be improved if data generated from them are converted into digital information ready for transmission and incorporation into eRecord systems. The Botswana eHealth Strategy stresses the need to have interoperable eRecords, but mHealth solutions must not be left out. Literature insight about mHealth interoperability with eRecords can inform implementation strategies for Botswana and elsewhere.

scholarly journals Influence of COVID-19 on lifestyle behaviors in the Middle East and North Africa Region: a survey of 5896 individuals

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abouzid ◽  
◽  
Dina M. El-Sherif ◽  
Nael Kamel Eltewacy ◽  
Nesrine Ben Hadj Dahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected health and lifestyle behaviors of people globally. This project aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle behavior of individuals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during confinement. Methods We conducted an online survey in 17 countries (Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Sudan) from the MENA region on August and September 2020. The questionnaire included self-reported information on lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, eating habits, smoking, watching television, social media use and sleep before and during the pandemic. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle behaviors. Results A total of 5896 participants were included in the final analysis and 62.8% were females. The BMI of the participants was 25.4 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Around 38.4% of the participants stopped practicing any physical activities during the confinement (P < 0.001), and 57.1% reported spending more than 2 h on social media (P < 0.001). There were no significant changes in smoking habits. Also, 30.9% reported an improvement in their eating habits compared with 24.8% reported worsening of their eating habits. Fast-food consumption decreased significantly in 48.8% of the study population. This direct/indirect exposure to COVID-19 was associated with an increased consumption of carbohydrates (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.02–1.17; P = 0.01), egg (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.02–1.16; P = 0.01), sugar (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.02–1.16; P = 0.02), meat, and poultry (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.06–1.20; P < 0.01). There was also associated increase in hours spent on watching television (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.02–1.12; P < 0.01) and social media (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.01–1.18; P = 0.03). However, our results showed a reduction in sleeping hours among those exposed to COVID-19 infection (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.77–0.94; P < 0.01). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in food consumption and sedentary life. Being exposed to COVID-19 by direct infection or through an infected household is a significant predictor of amplifying these changes. Public health interventions are needed to address healthy lifestyle behaviors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Healing at the End of Life: The Voice of the Patient

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Ingram
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Whole Person ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
The Impact

In palliative care we have the privilege to care for seriously ill people and their families. Some people value capturing their life story or illness journey on film. I have been fortunate to have been invited into the lives of many people close the end of life for a heartfelt conversation.On an interactive iPad incorporated in the poster, the recorded narrative of patients and one bereft spouse the poster audience will experience the lived experience of people close to the end of life as they reflect on their lives. The narratives will demonstrate how each lived with a new found improved quality of life in the face of increasing symptoms, declining functioning and the approaching end of life; otherwise known as healing. Topics of healing and quality of life, patient-centered care, dignity, human development, spirituality and love will be the focus of their stories. The stories lay bare the very practical, emotional, existential, and personal experience central to our provision of whole person care through palliative care. The poster audience will experience a renewed sense of the impact of a dedicated approach to whole person care as experienced through those on the receiving end.

scholarly journals Quality and safety by design

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. i1-i3 ◽  
Author(s):  
J B Battles
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Framework Design ◽  
Design Attributes ◽  
Centered Care

Rather than continuing to try to measure the width and depths of the quality chasm, a legitimate question is how does one actually begin to close the quality chasm? One way to think about the problem is as a design challenge rather than as a quality improvement challenge. It is time to move from reactive measurement to a more proactive use of proven design methods, and to involve a number of professions outside health care so that we can design out system failure and design in quality of care. Is it possible to actually design in quality and design out failure? A three level conceptual framework design would use the six quality aims laid out in Crossing the quality chasm. The first or core level of the framework would be designing for patient centered care, with safety as the second level. The third design attributes would be efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness, and equity. Design methods and approaches are available that can be used for the design of healthcare organizations and facilities, learning systems to train and maintain competency of health professionals, clinical systems, clinical work, and information technology systems. In order to bring about major improvements in quality and safety, these design methods can and should be used to redesign healthcare delivery systems.

Using Social Media Listening to measure the impact of diseases and treatments on patients’ Health-Related Quality of Life (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Renner ◽  
Tom Marty ◽  
Mickaïl Khadhar ◽  
Pierre Foulquié ◽  
Paméla Voillot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Web Crawler ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Monitoring social media has been shown to be a useful mean to capture patients’ opinions and feelings about medical issues, ranging from diseases to treatments. Health-related quality of life is a useful indicator of overall patients’ health that can be captured online. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe a Social Media Listening system which is able to detect any impact of diseases or treatments on health-related quality of life as reported in social media and forum messages written by patients. METHODS Using a web crawler, 19 health-related forums in France were harvested and messages relating a patient’s experience with a disease or a treatment were specifically collected. The algorithm was based on the two clinically validated questionnaires SF-36 and EQ-5D. Models were trained using cross-validation (a machine learning technique which obtains the best combination between different data samples) and hyperparameter optimization. Over-sampling was used to increase the infrequent dimension: after annotation, SMOTE was used to balance the proportion of the dimension among messages. RESULTS The training set was composed of 1400 messages, randomly taken from a 20 000 batch of health-related messages coming from forums. The algorithm was able to detect a general impact on health-related quality of life (sensitivity of 0.83 and specificity of 0.74), a physical impact (0.67 and 0.76), a psychic impact (0.82 and 0.60), an activity-related impact (0.73 and 0.78), a relational impact (0.73 and 0.70) and a financial impact (0.79 and 0.74). CONCLUSIONS Real-time assessment of patients’ health-related quality of life through the use of Social Media Listening is useful to a patient-centered medical care. Social media as a source of Real World Data are a complementary point of vue to understand patients’ concerns, unmet needs and how diseases and treatments can be a burden in their daily lives. Trial Registration: Not applicable (not a trial)

Expanding Role of Telephone Systems in Healthcare

2017 ◽  
pp. 564-598
Author(s):  
Jing Shi ◽  
Ergin Erdem ◽  
Heping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Patient Acceptance ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Telephone Systems

The telephone systems in healthcare settings serve as a viable tool for improving the quality of service provided to patients, decreasing the cost, and improving the patient satisfaction. It can play a pivotal role for transformation of the healthcare delivery for embracing personalized and patient centered care. This chapter presents a systematic review of new developments of healthcare telephone system operations in various areas such as tele-health. Current research on topics such as tele-diagnosis, tele-nursing, tele-consultation is outlined. Specific issues associated with the emerging applications such as underreferral, legal issues, patient acceptance, on-call physician are discussed. Meanwhile, the architecture and underlying technologies for healthcare telephone systems are introduced, and the performance metrics for measuring the system operations are provided. In addition, challenges and opportunities related with improving the healthcare telephone systems are identified, and the potential opportunities of optimizing these systems are pointed out.

A Computational Perspective of Knowledge Empowerment for Healthcare Decision Making

2017 ◽  
pp. 134-155
Author(s):  
Timothy Jay Carney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Healthcare Decision ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Healthcare Decision Making ◽  
Computational Perspective ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
The Relationship

People in a variety of settings can be heard uttering the phrase that “knowledge is power” or the relatively equivalent concept that “information is power.” However, the research literature in particular lacks a simple and standardized way to examine the relationship between knowledge and power. There is a lack operational quantitative definitions of this relationship to adequately support the building of complex computational models used in addressing some longstanding public health and healthcare delivery issues like differential access to care, inequitable care and treatment, institutional bias, disparities in health outcomes, and eliminating barriers to patient-centered care. The objective of this discussion is to present a relational algorithm that can be used in both conceptual discussions on knowledge empowerment modeling, as well as in the building of computational models that want to explore the variable of knowledge empowerment within computer simulation experiments.

Rumors on the Net: A Brackish Suspension of Speech and Hate

2019 ◽  
pp. 174387211988012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Wagner ◽  
Sarah Marusek
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Public Memory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Cyber Culture ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mob Mentality

The legitimacy of public memory and socially normative standards of civility is questioned through rumors that abound on online social media platforms. On the Net, the proclivity of rumors is particularly prone to acts of bullying and frameworks of hate speech. Legislative attempts to limit rumors operate differently in France and throughout Europe from the United States. This article examines the impact of online rumors, the mob mentality, and the politicization of bullying critics within a cyber culture that operates within the limitations of law.

Assessment and Counseling of Older Drivers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Meuser ◽  
David B. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Older Drivers ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Fitness Evaluation ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
Individualized Approach ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Safety Considerations ◽  
The Impact

Driving a motor vehicle is an important instrumental activity of daily living and thus a target for health-related assessment and assistance. Most older drivers self-regulate in response to changes in medical and functional status. A minority may not recognize the impact of such changes on driving (e.g., in dementia) and so may continue driving when no longer safe to do so, despite warning signs. When evaluating driver fitness, clinicians must weigh individual rights of autonomy and choice against objective findings of deficits and broader safety considerations. Driver evaluation requires a sensitive, individualized approach that also takes daily-life mobility into account. This chapter discusses driver fitness evaluation in the context of patient-centered care and resources to support patients in the transition in mobility from driving to not driving.

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