Dataset Information

Ecuadorian Cancer Patients' Preference for Information and Communication Technologies: Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The instantaneous spread of information, low costs, and broad availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) make them an attractive platform for managing care, patient communication, and medical interventions in cancer treatment. There is little information available in Latin America about the level of usage of ICTs for and by cancer patients. Our study attempts to fill this gap.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the level of ICT use and patterns of preferences among cancer patients.

Methods

We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey study in 500 Ecuadorian cancer patients. This questionnaire consisted of 22 items about demographic and clinical data, together with the preferences of people who use ICTs. Chi-square, crude, and adjusted logistic regressions were performed.

Results

Of the total, 43.2% (216/500) of participants reported that they had access to the Internet, and 25.4% (127/500) reported that they neither owned a cell phone nor did they have access to the Internet. The Internet constituted the highest usage rate as a source of information about malignant diseases (74.3%, 162/218) regardless of age (P<.001). With regard to the preferences on how patients would like to use ICTs to receive information about diseases, WhatsApp (66.5%, 145/218) and short message service (SMS) text messaging (61.0%, 133/218) were widely reported as interesting communication channels. Similarly, WhatsApp (72.0%, 157/218) followed by SMS (63.8%, 139/218) were reported as the preferred ICTs through which patients would like to ask physicians about diseases. Adjusted regression analysis showed that patients aged between 40 and 64 years were more likely to be interested in receiving information through SMS (odds ratio, OR 5.09, 95% CI 1.92-13.32), as well as for asking questions to physicians through this same media (OR 9.78, CI 3.45-27.67) than the oldest group.

Conclusions

WhatsApp, SMS, and email are effective and widely used ICTs that can promote communication between cancer patients and physicians. According to age range, new ICTs such as Facebook are still emerging. Future studies should investigate how to develop and promote ICT-based resources more effectively to engage the outcomes of cancer patients. The widespread use of ICTs narrows the gap between cancer patients with restricted socioeconomic conditions and those with wealth and easily available technological means, thereby opening up new possibilities in low-income countries.

SUBMITTER: Cherrez Ojeda I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5840480 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Ecuadorian Cancer Patients' Preference for Information and Communication Technologies: Cross-Sectional Study.

Cherrez Ojeda Ivan I Vanegas Emanuel E Torres Michell M Calderón Juan Carlos JC Calero Erick E Cherrez Annia A Felix Miguel M Mata Valeria V Cherrez Sofia S Simancas Daniel D

Journal of medical Internet research 20180220 2

<h4>Background</h4>The instantaneous spread of information, low costs, and broad availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) make them an attractive platform for managing care, patient communication, and medical interventions in cancer treatment. There is little information available in Latin America about the level of usage of ICTs for and by cancer patients. Our study attempts to fill this gap.<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of this study was to assess the level of ICT use and ...[more]

PMID: 29463492

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Project description:Objective:In recent years, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has increased in various sectors, among which the healthcare service is no exception. However, studies have mostly focused on the use of ICTs among patients with chronic diseases, with few reports on the advantages and barriers of these technologies among physicians, particularly in Latin America. We designed this study to fill in the gap, as an objective assessment of the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs among physicians remains crucial for a successful implementation of these technologies into the mainstream medical practice. Methods:We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey-based study in 640 Ecuadorian physicians. The survey used consisted of 13 items and evaluated the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs among physicians. Chi-square tests for goodness of fit and independence were performed, whilst Phi coefficient was interpreted to assess the strength of associations. Fisher exact test was performed when required. Results:Over 90% of physicians reported the use of ICTs to message other colleagues and patients (p=0.000). While 89.5% of physicians used social media to interact with other colleagues, only 58.1% used them to interact with patients (p=0.000). Most participants reported the use of ICTs to search for academic information (p=0.000). Moreover, more than 80.0% agree that ICTs may be used to promote health and medical services, search new job opportunities, get involved in research projects and promote teamwork with colleagues. However, 83.6% of physicians expressed concerns about privacy and patient confidentiality, while 53.8% stated that they lacked the time to use ICTs. Conclusion:High usage of ICTs was found among Ecuadorian physicians. Younger physicians, with less postgraduate years, and non-specialists were more likely to have a positive perception toward ICTs. Privacy and patient confidentiality, followed by time management, were the most reported barriers in our study.

Project description:BackgroundInformation and communication technologies (ICTs) are changing the traditional health care model and redefining personalized health. ICTs offer effective communication and real-time monitoring of patients and provide additional data to support clinical decision-making, improve the quality of care, and contribute to the empowerment of patients. However, evidence on the use of ICTs and digital preferences of immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) patients is scarce.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe the degree of use of ICTs in patients with IMIDs (including rheumatic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and psoriasis), identify their needs, and analyze their interest in the use of apps as tools for better management of their disease.MethodsA questionnaire was created by a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists, rheumatologists, gastroenterologists, dermatologists, and nurses with experience in ICTs applied to the field of IMID. The survey included 27 questions organized into 3 blocks: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) ICT use for health-related information, and (3) patient expectations about mobile health.ResultsA total of 472 questionnaires were analyzed. Overall, 52.9% (250/472) of patients were diagnosed with a rheumatologic disease, 39.4% (186/472) with inflammatory bowel disease, and 12.3% (58/472) with psoriasis. The state of health was considered good by 45.6% (215/472) of patients. Patients were interested in staying informed about health issues in 86.9% (410/427) of cases and sought health-related information mainly from the internet (334/472, 70.8%) and health care professionals (318/472, 67.4%). Overall, 13.6% (64/472) did not trust the health information they found in internet. Of the patients, 42.8% (202/472) had a health app, and 42.2% (199/472) had found it on their own. Patients would like a health app to help mainly to manage appointments (281/472, 59.5%), obtain information about their diseases and treatments (274/472, 58.1%), and get in contact with health professionals (250/472, 53.0%). Overall, 90.0% (425/472) of patients reported they would use an app to manage their IMID if their health professional recommended it, and 58.0% (274/472) would pay or probably be willing to pay for it.ConclusionsIMID patients were very interested in finding health-related information via ICTs, especially using smartphones and apps recommended by health professionals. Appointment management, advice on disease and treatment management, and personalized communication with health professionals were the most desired app features identified. Health professionals should play an essential role in recommending and validating these tools to ensure they are of high quality.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of information between dental professionals and their patients. However, little is known about the frequency and preference of ICTs among Latin-American dentists. Our study aims to fill this gap by assessing different aspects related to ICTs, mainly the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers among Ecuadorian dentists. METHODS:An anonymous, cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among 342 Ecuadorian dentists. The final questionnaire included 13 items related to the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs. Bivariate analysis was performed by using chi-squared testing to explore the association between the independent variables and the intended use of ICTs, as well as to characterize the perceptions and barriers related to ICTs. RESULTS:In general, most participants reported the use of ICTs to communicate with colleagues (99.7%), and patients (96.2%), while only 63.5% reported using ICTs to obtain academic information in their daily practice. WhatsApp was rated as the most used ICT for communicating with colleagues and patients. A majority of participants considered that ICTs can be useful for facilitating continuing dental education (92.1%), searching new work opportunities (91.5%), promoting health (90.1%), working with colleagues and other health professionals (91.2%), promoting their professional services (90.6%), and for resolving clinical cases (87.7%). On the subject of barriers, privacy and security concerns about personal and/or patient information was the biggest concern among dentists (65%), followed by lack of time to learn how to use and/or use ICTs (48%), lack of mobile internet access (28.1%), and lack of internet access at work (24.9%). CONCLUSION:In our study, we found that Ecuadorian dentists had a high usage rate of ICTs, mainly for communicating with other colleagues and patients, while the academic use of technology remains a comparatively underused application. Most of the participants surveyed had a positive perception towards ICTs, while privacy and security concerns were identified as the main barrier. Older age was associated with a less favourable perception toward ICTs, as well as an increased likelihood of reporting barriers related to the use of technology.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Information and communication technologies are promising tools to increase the quality of life of people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and that of their caregivers. However, there are barriers to their use associated with sociodemographic factors and negative attitudes, as well as inadequate knowledge about technologies. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to analyze technophilia (attitudes toward new technologies) and the use of smartphones and tablets along with associated factors in people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers. METHODS:Data from the first visit of the Support Monitoring and Reminder for Mild Dementia (SMART4MD) randomized multicenter clinical trial were used for this analysis. Data were obtained from two European countries, Spain and Sweden, and from three centers: Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (Catalonia, Spain), Servicio Andaluz de Salud (Andalusia, Spain), and the Blekinge Institute of Technology (Sweden). Participants with a score between 20 and 28 in the Mini Mental State Examination, with memory problems (for more than 6 months), and who were over the age of 55 years were included in the study, along with their caregivers. The bivariate Chi square and Mann-Whitney tests, and multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS:A total of 1086 dyads were included (N=2172). Overall, 299 (27.53%) of people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment had a diagnosis of dementia. In addition, 588 (54.14%) of people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment reported using a smartphone almost every day, and 106 (9.76%) used specific apps or software to support their memory. Among the caregivers, 839 (77.26%) used smartphones and tablets almost every day, and 181 (16.67%) used specific apps or software to support their memory. The people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment showed a lower level of technophilia in comparison to that of their caregivers after adjusting for confounders (B=0.074, P=.02) with differences in technology enthusiasm (B=0.360, P<.001), but not in technology anxiety (B=-0.042, P=.37). Technophilia was associated with lower age (B=-0.009, P=.004), male gender (B=-0.160, P<.001), higher education level (P=.01), living arrangement (living with children vs single; B=-2.538, P=.01), country of residence (Sweden vs Spain; B=0.256, P<.001), lower depression (B=-0.046, P<.001), and better health status (B=0.004, P<.001) in people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment. Among caregivers, technophilia was associated with comparable sociodemographic factors (except for living arrangement), along with a lower caregiver burden (B=-0.005, P=.04) and better quality of life (B=0.348, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS:Technophilia was associated with a better quality of life and sociodemographic variables in people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment and caregivers, suggesting potential barriers for technological interventions. People with dementia/mild cognitive impairment frequently use smartphones and tablets, but the use of specific apps or software to support memory is limited. Interventions using these technologies are needed to overcome barriers in this population related to sociodemographic characteristics and the lack of enthusiasm for new technologies. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03325699; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03325699.

Dataset Information

Ecuadorian Cancer Patients' Preference for Information and Communication Technologies: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Ecuadorian Cancer Patients' Preference for Information and Communication Technologies: Cross-Sectional Study.

Similar Datasets

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