scholarly journals Preliminary needs assessment of mobile technology use for healthcare among homeless veterans

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Keith McInnes ◽  
Gemmae M Fix ◽  
Jeffrey L Solomon ◽  
Beth Ann Petrakis ◽  
Leon Sawh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
It Use ◽  
Homeless Veterans ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Health Related

BACKGROUND: Homeless veterans have complex healthcare needs, but experience many barriers to treatment engagement. While information technologies (IT), especially mobile phones, are used to engage patients in care, little is known about homeless veterans’ IT use. This study examines homeless veterans’ access to and use of IT, attitudes toward health-related IT use, and barriers to IT in the context of homelessness. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 homeless veterans in different housing programs in Boston, MA. Inductive thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Most participants (90%) had a mobile phone and were receptive to IT use for health-related communications. A common difficulty communicating with providers was the lack of a stable mailing address. Some participants were using mobile phones to stay in touch with providers. Participants felt mobile-phone calls or text messages could be used to remind patients of appointments, prescription refills, medication taking, and returning for laboratory results. Mobile phone text messaging was seen as convenient, helped participants stay organized because necessary information was saved in text messages. Some reported concerns about the costs associated with mobile phone use (calls and texting), the potential to be annoyed by too many text messages, and not knowing how to use text messaging. CONCLUSION: Homeless veterans use IT and welcome its use for health-related purposes. Technology-assisted outreach among this population may lead to improved engagement in care.

scholarly journals Preliminary needs assessment of mobile technology use for healthcare among homeless veterans

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Keith McInnes ◽  
Gemmae M Fix ◽  
Jeffrey L Solomon ◽  
Beth Ann Petrakis ◽  
Leon Sawh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
It Use ◽  
Homeless Veterans ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Health Related

BACKGROUND: Homeless veterans have complex healthcare needs, but experience many barriers to treatment engagement. While information technologies (IT), especially mobile phones, are used to engage patients in care, little is known about homeless veterans’ IT use. This study examines homeless veterans’ access to and use of IT, attitudes toward health-related IT use, and barriers to IT in the context of homelessness. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 homeless veterans in different housing programs in Boston, MA. Inductive thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Most participants (90%) had a mobile phone and were receptive to IT use for health-related communications. A common difficulty communicating with providers was the lack of a stable mailing address. Some participants were using mobile phones to stay in touch with providers. Participants felt mobile-phone calls or text messages could be used to remind patients of appointments, prescription refills, medication taking, and returning for laboratory results. Mobile phone text messaging was seen as convenient, helped participants stay organized because necessary information was saved in text messages. Some reported concerns about the costs associated with mobile phone use (calls and texting), the potential to be annoyed by too many text messages, and not knowing how to use text messaging. CONCLUSION: Homeless veterans use IT and welcome its use for health-related purposes. Technology-assisted outreach among this population may lead to improved engagement in care.

Text-Messaging in Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Deumert
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Message Service ◽  
Local Meaning

The concept of Africa requires reflection: what does it mean to study a social phenomenon “in Africa”? Technology use in Africa is complex and diverse, showing various degrees of access across the continent (and in the Diaspora, and digital social inequalities—which are part and parcel of the political economy of communication—shape digital engagement. The rise of mobile phones, in particular, has enabled the emergence of technologically mediated literacies, text-messaging among them. Text-messaging is defined not only by a particular mode of communication (typically written on mobile phones, visual, digital), but it also favors particular topics (intimate, relational, sociable, ludic) and ways of writing (short, non-standard texts that are creative as well as multilingual). The genre of text-messaging thus includes not only short message service (SMS) and (mobile) instant-messaging (which one might call prototypical one-to-one text messages), but also Twitter, an application that, like texting, favors brevity of expression and allows for one-to-many conversations. Access to Twitter is still limited for many Africans, but as ownership of smartphones is growing, so is Twitter use, and the African “Twittersphere” is emerging as an important pan-African space. At times, discussions are very local (as on Ghanaian Twitter), at other times regional (East African Twitter) or global (African Twitter and Black Twitter); all these are emic, folksonomic terms, assigned and discussed by users. Although former colonial languages, especially English, dominate in many prototypical text messages and on Twitter, the genre also provides important opportunities for writing in African languages. The choices made in the digital space echo the well-known debate between Chinua Achebe and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: the Africanization of the former colonial languages versus writing in African languages. In addition, digital writers engage in multilingual writing, combining diverse languages in one text, and thus offer new ways of writing locally as well as shaping a digitally-mediated pan-African voice that draws on global strategies as well as local meaning.

scholarly journals Personal versus professional use of mobile phones in information processes at work

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 994-1008
Author(s):  
Ștefan Andrei Neştian ◽  
Silviu Mihail Tiţă ◽  
Elena-Sabina Turnea
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Information Processes ◽  
Personal Use ◽  
Schedule Time ◽  
The One

Abstract Mobile phone has become today a multi tasking tool, used in the work environment for both, personal and professional purposes. On the one hand, used for personal purposes, mobile phone can bring many benefits: it reduces stress, helps to schedule time after work, helps the employee to find useful information on the Internet, etc. On the other hand, mobile phone can also have negative effects when it is used at work for personal purposes: decreases productivity at work, distracts the attention, exposes to risks employees that are working in production, etc. In what concerns the professional purposes, the benefits depend of the nature of work: keeps constant connections with supervisors and clients, employees find quick information related to working tasks, and information can be shared at any time with colleagues, etc. Of course there are also negative effects of the mobile phone used at the workplace: disturbing the activity of colleagues, non-dissipation of information to others in a timely manner, etc. In this paper we present some preliminary results from a study that highlights both, professional and personal use of mobile phones in information processes at work. The research sample has 368 respondents from different fields of activity. Based on the frequency of their use, the results indicate that, for personal purposes, text messaging applications comes on the first place, search for useful information on the Internet comes on the second place and finally, the phone calls (voice only) are on the third position. For professional purposes, at work, most employees use phone calls (voice only), then they search for useful information on the Internet, and finally, they use messaging applications.

scholarly journals “A Gift with Strings Attached”: Parents’ Experiences of Teenagers’ Mobile Phone Text Messaging

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Epiphanie Mukasano ◽  
Catherina J. Schenck ◽  
Hester M van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Parents Experiences

While the rapid adoption of mobile technology became global, the rate at which young people adopted it was even bigger. Most studies focussed on the experiences of the teenagers. In this study the aim of the study was to explore parents’ experiences of their teenagers’ text messages. A qualitative exploratory research design was adopted. The population was parents/guardians (males and females) of teenagers (boys and girls) attending high schools in Cape Town South Africa. Available and snowball sampling were used. All participants were recruited in the Southern Suburbs and Cape Flats of the Cape Metropolitan Area. In total 11 parents were interviewed using an interview guideline. The interviews were transcribed, independently coded and thematically analysed. The results show that mobile phones are no ordinary gifts. They are given with strings attached. Once in teenagers’ hands, the devices serve both communication and monitoring purposes. It comes with a set of given or negotiated rules and new expectations. The study also emphasises the importance of a trusting relationship with teenagers, respecting their privacy, and the disengagement process from their parents. The importance of positive relationships and open communication as well as negotiated rules in the management of the mobile phone is recommended.

scholarly journals Gender and the Digital Divide Across Urban Slums of New Delhi, India: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/14714 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. e14714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Joshi ◽  
Bhavya Malhotra ◽  
Chioma Amadi ◽  
Menka Loomba ◽  
Archa Misra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Gender Groups ◽  
Individual Education

Background Disparities in access to specific technologies within gender groups have not been investigated. Slum settings provide an ideal population to investigate the contributing factors to these disparities. Objective This study aimed to examine gender differences in mobile phone ownership, internet access, and knowledge of SMS text messaging among males and females living in urban slum settings. Methods A convenience sampling approach was used in sample selection from 675 unnotified slums. A total of 38 slum sites were then selected across four geographic zones. Of these, 10% of the households in each slum site was selected from each zone. One household member was interviewed based on their availability and fulfillment of the eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals included those aged 18 years and above, residing in these slums, and who provided voluntary consent to participate in the study. Individuals with mental or physical challenges were excluded from the study. Results Our results showed that females were half as likely to own mobile phones compared with males (odds ratio [OR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.37-0.76), less likely to have internet access (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56-1.11), or know how to send text messages (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.66-1.31). The predictors of mobile phone ownership, internet access, and text messaging between males and females included age, individual education, housing type, and the number of earning members in a household in the adjusted analysis. Among males, the number of earning members was a predictor of both mobile phone ownership and text messaging, whereas household education was a predictor of both internet access and text messaging. Age and individual education only predicted internet access, whereas housing type only predicted text messaging. Among females, household education was a predictor of all the technology outcomes. Age and type of toilet facility only predicted mobile phone ownership; housing type only predicted internet access whereas television ownership with satellite service and smoking behavior only predicted text messaging. Conclusions Our study findings showing disparate access to technology within gender groups lend support for further research to examine the causal mechanisms promoting these differences to proffer significant solutions. Specifically, our study findings suggest that improving household education is crucial to address the disparate access and usage of mobile phones, the internet, and text messaging among women in slum settings. This suggestion is due to the consistency in household educational level as a predictor across all these technology indicators. In addition, the mechanisms by which the number of household earning members influences the disparate access to technology among men call for further exploration.

scholarly journals Change in Patient Comfort Using Mobile Phones Following the Use of an App to Monitor Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence: Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Do ◽  
Richard S Garfein ◽  
Jazmine Cuevas-Mota ◽  
Kelly Collins ◽  
Lin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Patient Comfort ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Antituberculosis Treatment ◽  
Mhealth Apps

BACKGROUND As mHealth apps proliferate, it is necessary for patients to feel capable and comfortable using devices that run them. However, limited research is available on changes in comfort level before and after the use of an mHealth app. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether patients with tuberculosis who used an mHealth app called Video Directly Observed Therapy (VDOT) to monitor their antituberculosis treatment became more comfortable using mobile phones after the intervention and to identify factors associated with change in comfort. METHODS We analyzed data from a longitudinal study assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the VDOT app among patients receiving antituberculosis treatment from public health departments in San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City. Comfort levels on six domains of mobile phone use (making phone calls, taking pictures, recording videos, text messaging, internet and email use on the phone) were measured on a 10-point scale (1=very uncomfortable; 10=very comfortable) at the start and end of treatment using VDOT via telephone interviews. The main outcomes were change in comfort level on each domain (recoded as binary measures) and an overall change score (sum of individual measures). Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess whether sociodemographics, risk factors, and VDOT perceptions were associated with change of comfort measures. RESULTS Among 120 participants with complete data, mean age was 39.8 years (SD 14.8, range 18-87 years), 46.7% (56/120) were female, and 76.7% (92/120) were foreign born. The combined comfort level at baseline was high overall (mean 48.8, SD 14.2, interquartile range 43.0-60.0) and the mean comfort score increased by 1.92 points at follow-up (P=.07). Statistically significant increases in comfort on individual domains included taking pictures (P=.02) and recording videos (P=.002). Females were more likely to have increased comfort in using the internet on the phone compared to males (odds ratio [OR] 3.03, 95% CI 1.08-8.52, P=.04). Participants who worked less hours per week were more likely to have increased comfort recording videos although this did not meet statistical significance (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.05, P=.06). CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that, despite a high level of comfort using mobile phones at baseline, experience using the VDOT app was associated with increased comfort using mobile phone features. Additional research involving participants with lower baseline mobile phone experience is needed. An implication of these findings is that as patients begin to use mHealth apps for one health condition, they could acquire skills and confidence to more quickly adapt to using mHealth apps for other conditions.

scholarly journals Gender and the Digital Divide Across Urban Slums of New Delhi, India: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Joshi ◽  
Bhavya Malhotra ◽  
Chioma Amadi ◽  
Menka Loomba ◽  
Archa Misra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Gender Groups ◽  
Individual Education

BACKGROUND Disparities in access to specific technologies within gender groups have not been investigated. Slum settings provide an ideal population to investigate the contributing factors to these disparities. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine gender differences in mobile phone ownership, internet access, and knowledge of SMS text messaging among males and females living in urban slum settings. METHODS A convenience sampling approach was used in sample selection from 675 unnotified slums. A total of 38 slum sites were then selected across four geographic zones. Of these, 10% of the households in each slum site was selected from each zone. One household member was interviewed based on their availability and fulfillment of the eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals included those aged 18 years and above, residing in these slums, and who provided voluntary consent to participate in the study. Individuals with mental or physical challenges were excluded from the study. RESULTS Our results showed that females were half as likely to own mobile phones compared with males (odds ratio [OR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.37-0.76), less likely to have internet access (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56-1.11), or know how to send text messages (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.66-1.31). The predictors of mobile phone ownership, internet access, and text messaging <i>between</i> males and females included age, individual education, housing type, and the number of earning members in a household in the adjusted analysis. Among males, the number of earning members was a predictor of both mobile phone ownership and text messaging, whereas household education was a predictor of both internet access and text messaging. Age and individual education only predicted internet access, whereas housing type only predicted text messaging. Among females, household education was a predictor of all the technology outcomes. Age and type of toilet facility only predicted mobile phone ownership; housing type only predicted internet access whereas television ownership with satellite service and smoking behavior only predicted text messaging. CONCLUSIONS Our study findings showing disparate access to technology <i>within</i> gender groups lend support for further research to examine the causal mechanisms promoting these differences to proffer significant solutions. Specifically, our study findings suggest that improving household education is crucial to address the disparate access and usage of mobile phones, the internet, and text messaging among women in slum settings. This suggestion is due to the consistency in household educational level as a predictor across all these technology indicators. In addition, the mechanisms by which the number of household earning members influences the disparate access to technology among men call for further exploration.

scholarly journals Research on the Use of Mobile Devices and Headphones on Pedestrian Crossings—Pilot Case Study from Slovakia

Safety ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Miroslava Mikusova ◽  
Joanna Wachnicka ◽  
Joanna Zukowska
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Pedestrian Behavior ◽  
The Road ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Interaction Factor ◽  
Future Work

The topic of the use of mobile devices and headphones on pedestrian crossings is much less explored in comparison to the use of the mobile phone while driving. Recent years have seen many discussions on this issue, especially in foreign countries. The Slovak Republic, however, has not been giving it enough attention (and it is not mentioned in the National Road Safety Plan for the Slovak Republic from 2011 to 2020). This paper aims to draw attention to this issue. It presents basic outputs of a pilot study on pedestrian safety, with a focus on the use of mobile devices and headphones at selected non-signalized pedestrian crossings in three Slovak cities. Overall, 9% of pedestrians used headphones or mobile devices at observed pedestrian crossings (4% of them used headphones, 1% used headphones and at same time used their mobile phone, 2% made phone calls and 2% used their mobile phones). While these numbers can be considered relatively low, the study proved that during weekdays every 2 min someone was using the crossing without fully focusing on crossing the road safely. Another main finding was that although the safety risk at pedestrian crossings is increased by factors such as rush hour traffic or reduced visibility, pedestrian behavior related to the use of mobile phones and headphones does not change. A safety assessment was also carried out at the crossings. The results show that pedestrian behavior is not affected by the level of safety of the crossing (e.g., visibility of the crossing for drivers). The results of the presented analysis suggest that action is needed to change that. Due to the lack of information about accidents involving pedestrians using mobile phones and headsets when crossing the road, no relevant statistical data could be analyzed. The dataset collected can be used as a basis for further investigation or comparisons with other countries of the relevant indicators. In future work, we would like to include a pedestrian–driver interaction factor focusing on driver speed behavior in relation to pedestrians (who are on or are about to step onto a pedestrian crossing) and identify critical situations caused by improper behavior of drivers and/or pedestrians. This will help to understand speed adjustment problems related to pedestrian crossings.

scholarly journals An Enhanced Mobile Phone Dialler Application for Blind and Visually Impaired People

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Mohammad Yousef ◽  
Omar Adwan ◽  
Murad Abu-Leil
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Voice Recognition ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Windows Phone ◽  
Innovative Concept

This paper presents the development of a new mobile phone dialler application which is designed to help blind and visually impaired people make phone calls. The new mobile phone dialler application is developed as a windows phone application to facilitate entering information to touch screen mobile phones by blind people. This application is advantageous through its innovative concept, its simplicity and its availability at an affordable cost. Feedback from users showed that this new application is easy to use and solves many problems of voice recognition applications such as inaccuracy, slowness and interpretation of unusual voices. In addition, this application has increased the users ability to dial phone numbers more independently and less stressfully.

scholarly journals Improving Retention in Care and Promoting Adherence to HIV Treatment: Protocol for a Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of Mobile Phone Text Messaging (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvis Asangbeng Tanue ◽  
Dickson Shey Nsagha ◽  
Nana Njamen Theophile ◽  
Jules Clement Nguedia Assob
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Retention In Care ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Adherence To Treatment ◽  
Randomized Controlled

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization has prioritized the use of new technologies to assist in health care delivery in resource-limited settings. Findings suggest that the use of SMS on mobile phones is an advantageous application in health care delivery, especially in communities with an increasing use of this device. OBJECTIVE The main aim of this trial is to assess whether sending weekly motivational text messages (SMS) through mobile phones versus no text messaging will improve retention in care and promote adherence to treatment and health outcomes among patients receiving HIV treatment in Fako Division of Cameroon. METHODS This is a multisite randomized controlled single-blinded trial. Computer-generated random block sizes shall be used to produce a randomization list. Participants shall be randomly allocated into the intervention and control groups determined by serially numbered sealed opaque envelopes. The 156 participants will either receive the mobile phone text message or usual standard of care. We hypothesize that sending weekly motivational SMS reminders will produce a change in behavior to enhance retention; treatment adherence; and, hence, health outcomes. Participants shall be evaluated and data collected at baseline and then at 2, 4, and 6 months after the launch of the intervention. Text messages shall be sent out, and the delivery will be recorded. Primary outcome measures are retention in care and adherence to treatment. Secondary outcomes are clinical (weight, body mass index), biological (virologic suppression, tuberculosis coinfection), quality of life, treatment discontinuation, and mortality. The analysis shall be by intention-to-treat. Analysis of covariates shall be performed to determine factors influencing outcomes. RESULTS Recruitment and random allocation are complete; 160 participants were allocated into 3 groups (52 in the single SMS, 55 in the double SMS, and 53 in the control). Data collection and analysis are ongoing, and statistical results will be available by the end of August 2019. CONCLUSIONS The interventions will contribute to an improved understanding of which intervention types can be feasible in improving retention in care and promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy. CLINICALTRIAL Pan African Clinical Trial Registry in South Africa PACTR201802003035922; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=3035 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/15680

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document