We highlight the successes and challenges of voice input technologies in health care and discuss opportunities to incorporate emerging voice assistant technologies used in the consumer domain.
BackgroundFor individuals with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), following a complicated daily medical regimen is critical to maintaining optimal health. Adolescents in particular struggle with regimen adherence. Commonly available technologies (eg, diabetes websites, apps) can provide diabetes-related support, yet little is known about how many adolescents with T1D use them, why they are used, or relationships between use and self-management.ObjectiveThis study examined adolescent and parent use of 5 commonly available technologies for diabetes, including proportions who use each technology, frequency of use, and number of different technologies used for diabetes. Analyses also investigated the reasons adolescents reported for using or not using technologies for diabetes, and factors correlated with adolescents’ technology use. Finally, this study examined relationships between the type and number of technologies adolescents use for diabetes and their self-management and glycemic control.MethodsAdolescents (12-17 years) and their parents (N=174 pairs), recruited from a pediatric diabetes clinic (n=134) and the Children with Diabetes community website (n=40), participated in this Web-based survey study. Glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) values were obtained from medical records for pediatric clinic patients. Adolescents reported their use of 5 commonly available technologies for diabetes (ie, social networking, diabetes websites, mobile diabetes apps, text messaging, and glucometer/insulin pump software), reasons for use, and self-management behavior (Self-Care Inventory-Revised, SCI-R).ResultsMost adolescents and parents used at least one of the 5 technologies for diabetes. Among adolescents, the most commonly used technology for diabetes was text messaging (53%), and the least commonly used was diabetes websites (25%). Most adolescents who used diabetes apps, text messaging, or pump/glucometer software did so more frequently (≥2 times per week), compared to social networking and website use (≤1 time per week). The demographic, clinical, and parent-technology use factors related to adolescents’ technology use varied by technology. Adolescents who used social networking, websites, or pump/glucometer software for diabetes had better self-management behavior (SCI-R scores: beta=.18, P=.02; beta=.15, P=.046; beta=.15, P=.04, respectively), as did those who used several technologies for diabetes (beta=.23, P=.003). However, use of diabetes websites was related to poorer glycemic control (A1C: beta=.18, P=.01).ConclusionsAdolescents with T1D may be drawn to different technologies for different purposes, as individual technologies likely offer differing forms of support for diabetes self-management (eg, tracking blood glucose or aiding problem solving). Findings suggest that technologies that are especially useful for adolescents’ diabetes problem solving may be particularly beneficial for their self-management. Additional research should examine relationships between the nature of technology use and adolescents’ T1D self-management ...
Results indicate a counterintuitive relationship between higher use of technologies for problem solving and higher A1C. Adolescents with poorer glycemic control may use technology in a reactive, as opposed to preventive, manner. Better understanding of the nature of technology use for self-management over time is needed to guide the development of technology-mediated problem solving tools for youth with type 1 diabetes.
We thank the patient for granting permission to publish this information. We thank Andrew M. Davis, MD, MPH, University of Chicago, for his generous guidance and insight throughout the development of the manuscript. No compensation was received for these contributions.
Objective To develop and evaluate an electronic tool that collects interval history and incorporates it into a provider summary note. Methods A parent-facing online before-visit questionnaire (BVQ) collected information from parents and caregivers of pediatric diabetes patients prior to a clinic encounter. This information was related to interval history and perceived self-management barriers. The BVQ generated a summary note that providers could paste in their own documentation. Parents also completed postvisit experience questionnaires. We assessed the BVQs perceived usefulness to parents and providers and compared provider documentation content and length pre- and post-BVQ rollout. We interviewed providers regarding their experiences with the system-generated note. Results Seventy-three parents of diabetic children were recruited and completed the BVQ. A total of 79% of parents stated that the BVQ helped with visit preparation and 80% said it improved perceived quality of visits. All 16 participating providers reviewed BVQs prior to patient encounters and 100% considered the summary beneficial. Most providers (81%) desired summaries less than 1 week old. A total of 69% of providers preferred the prose version of the summary; however, 75% also viewed the bulleted version as preferable for provider review. Analysis of provider notes revealed that BVQs increased provider documentation of patients' adherence and barriers. We observed a 50% reduction in typing by providers to document interval histories. Providers not using summaries typed an average of 137 words (standard deviation [SD]: 74) to document interval history compared with 68 words [SD 47] typed with BVQ use. Discussion Providers and parents of children with diabetes appreciated the use of previsit, parent-completed BVQs that automatically produced provider documentation. Despite the BVQ redistributing work from providers to parents, its use was acceptable to both groups. Conclusion Parent-completed questionnaires on the patient's behalf that generate provider documentation encourage communication between parents and providers regarding disease management and reduce provider workload.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.