BackgroundDespite their increasing popularity, little is known about how users perceive mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs in medical contexts. Available studies are often restricted to evaluating the success of specific interventions and do not adequately cover the users’ basic attitudes, for example, their expectations or concerns toward using mobile devices in medical settings.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to obtain a comprehensive picture, both from the perspective of the patients, as well as the doctors, regarding the use and acceptance of mobile devices within medical contexts in general well as the perceived challenges when introducing the technology.MethodsDoctors working at Hannover Medical School (206/1151, response 17.90%), as well as patients being admitted to this facility (213/279, utilization 76.3%) were surveyed about their acceptance and use of mobile devices in medical settings. Regarding demographics, both samples were representative of the respective study population. GNU R (version 3.1.1) was used for statistical testing. Fisher’s exact test, two-sided, alpha=.05 with Monte Carlo approximation, 2000 replicates, was applied to determine dependencies between two variables.ResultsThe majority of participants already own mobile devices (doctors, 168/206, 81.6%; patients, 110/213, 51.6%). For doctors, use in a professional context does not depend on age (P=.66), professional experience (P=.80), or function (P=.34); gender was a factor (P=.009), and use was more common among male (61/135, 45.2%) than female doctors (17/67, 25%). A correlation between use of mobile devices and age (P=.001) as well as education (P=.002) was seen for patients. Minor differences regarding how mobile devices are perceived in sensitive medical contexts mostly relate to data security, patients are more critical of the devices being used for storing and processing patient data; every fifth patient opposed this, but nevertheless, 4.8% of doctors (10/206) use their devices for this purpose. Both groups voiced only minor concerns about the credibility of the provided content or the technical reliability of the devices. While 8.3% of the doctors (17/206) avoided use during patient contact because they thought patients might be unfamiliar with the devices, (25/213) 11.7% of patients expressed concerns about the technology being too complicated to be used in a health context.ConclusionsDifferences in how patients and doctors perceive the use of mobile devices can be attributed to age and level of education; these factors are often mentioned as contributors of the problems with (mobile) technologies. To fully realize the potential of mobile technologies in a health care context, the needs of both the elderly as well as those who are educationally disadvantaged need to be carefully addressed in all strategies relating to mobile technology in a health context.

ObjectiveThe study’s objective was to assess factors contributing to the use of smart devices by general practitioners (GPs) and patients in the health domain, while specifically addressing the situation in Germany, and to determine whether, and if so, how both groups differ in their perceptions of these technologies.MethodsGPs and patients of resident practices in the Hannover region, Germany, were surveyed between April and June 2014. A total of 412 GPs in this region were invited by email to participate via an electronic survey, with 50 GPs actually doing so (response rate 12.1%). For surveying the patients, eight regional resident practices were visited by study personnel (once each). Every second patient arriving there (inclusion criteria: of age, fluent in German) was asked to take part (paper-based questionnaire). One hundred and seventy patients participated; 15 patients who did not give consent were excluded.ResultsThe majority of the participating patients (68.2%, 116/170) and GPs (76%, 38/50) owned mobile devices. Of the patients, 49.9% (57/116) already made health-related use of mobile devices; 95% (36/38) of the participating GPs used them in a professional context. For patients, age (P < 0.001) and education (P < 0.001) were significant factors, but not gender (P > 0.99). For doctors, neither age (P = 0.73), professional experience (P > 0.99) nor gender (P = 0.19) influenced usage rates. For patients, the primary use case was obtaining health (service)-related information. For GPs, interprofessional communication and retrieving information were in the foreground. There was little app-related interaction between both groups.ConclusionsGPs and patients use smart mobile devices to serve their specific interests. However, the full potentials of mobile technologies for health purposes are not yet being taken advantage of. Doctors as well as other care providers and the patients should work together on exploring and realising the potential benefits of the technology.

Using a cross-sectional population sample of 3,129 women with minor children, this paper analyzes the impact of social and psychological factors on maternal smoking. Pearson's χ(2) was used for testing significance of differences between smoking prevalence and social as well as psychological factors. Adjusted effects of these factors were calculated by means of multiple logistic regression analysis. About 30% of mothers smoked daily and about 11% were heavy smokers ( ≥ 20 cigarettes/day). Lower educational degree was the most important predictor for daily tobacco consumption. But also fulltime employment, low income, distress due to conflicts with (former) partner, job-related burdens, and single motherhood enhanced the risk of maternal smoking, while household-related stress and having a young child was associated with less tobacco use. With respect to personal factors, dysfunctional coping patterns and depression showed a significant impact on tobacco use. Against expectations, active coping styles were not associated with lower but with increased smoking rates. In conclusion, it can be stated that maternal smoking has multiple causes, and that intervention programs should target both current living circumstances and psychological factors.

Health research on an increasingly aging population calls for careful consideration of aging-associated phenomena, such as dementia. Accounting for such diseases is a necessary step for gaining a view of health in the elderly. It is moreover imperative to gather data on subjects' mental limitations in surveys to better evaluate the validity of answers disclosed by elderly participants. This article discusses the availability of data on individuals suffering from dementia in national studies on aging. It centers on the question of how surveys respond to the challenge of diagnosing dementia. The analysis is based on a literature review, which focuses on national studies on aging that were conducted no later than 2005, and that enforced an upper age limit of at least 79 years old for their subjects. By evaluating these published studies, and analyzing their data descriptively, it was determined how many subjects suffering from dementia were part of each sample, and which methods were applied to diagnose such illnesses. Overall, the availability of data on age and aging is satisfactory in Germany. The literature review discovered seven studies on aging, as well as five that lend themselves to a framework oriented toward research on aging. The number of subjects suffering from dementia in the samples is between 0 and 14% - over half of the studies reach less than 1.5% of those affected. These results thus point out problems in surveying individuals suffering from dementia. They highlight the limitations of studies on aging that do not account for dementia in their subjects. The following discussion aims to contribute to the debate on relevant research methodology, and to the development of methodological approaches that consider dementia as a crucial factor.

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The increase in heavy rainfall in recent years shows the need to consider disaster preparedness also for persons in need of assistance and care who are cared for at home or in old people's and nursing homes. Evacuation concepts in the event of a heavy rainfall event lasting several days with simultaneous power failure are hardly available for the vulnerable group so far. As part of the LifeGRID project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the question is being investigated as to what regional challenges and requirements arise in the event of flooding and a prolonged power blackout in the Wesermarsch district. In addition, the question will be addressed as to how the current care situation of patients referred to electricity presents itself in such a situation. Within the framework of a qualitative design, expert interviews were conducted with care service managers in winter 2022. The four guided interviews were transcribed and their content analysed. In coping with the assumed catastrophic events, the interviewees see problem areas in the organisation, communication, form of care and target group, in addition to the regional characteristics. It became clear that there are not only unanswered questions regarding responsibilities in the event of a crisis, but also that the diversity of forms of care (e.g. private households) poses a particular challenge. The interviewees do not see any viable alternatives to secure communication in the event of a power failure and also see that respiratory patients, for example, have a special need for care (e.g. due to the limited battery life of the respiratory equipment). The results also show that the nursing experts have different views on how they should prepare for such a scenario. These range from passivity to proactivity. A clear need for action becomes visible for cooperation and networking of the relevant actors, promotion of disaster literacy as well as the necessity to adapt the training curricula. Key messages

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