Are Austrian practitioners ready to use medical apps? Results of a validation study

et al. 2020

Preprint

Abstract Background With the development of information technology, more and more healthcare professionals are using smartphones and mobile medical applications (apps) in their clinical practice. The objective of this study was to survey the use of smartphone based medical apps among dentists in China and their perceptions on such apps. Methods All data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. The questionnaires for this cross-sectional study were randomly sent to dentists by email, and 379 dentists completed the questionnaires. Dentists’ demographics and their perceptions on Wechat, QQ (the most popular social media apps in China) and other medical apps were assessed, including questions on the purpose, frequency, daily use, and opinion of these apps they used. Questions were answered using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = not sure, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree). Results A total of 379 valid responses were received with a median age of 33.6 years old (63.3% female). All subjects (100%) owned a smartphone, and all of them installed and used WeChat or QQ in their clinical practice. Only 76% subjects installed medical apps (except Wechat and QQ) on their smartphones. Male dentists would like to install medical apps than female dentists (p < 0.05). With the increasing of age, the percentage of dentists to install medical apps was decreasing ( p < 0.001). The frequency and daily use of WeChat or QQ were more often than medical apps. Medical apps were positively perceived, with dentists reporting to recommend these medical apps to other peers (Likert score: 1.67 ± 0.68). Conclusion Medical apps were perceived to provide positive impact on clinical practice, education and patient care in dentistry by providing relevant medical information. But there will be still much room for improvement in the future.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Smartphone and Medical Application use Among Dentists in China

et al. 2020

Preprint

“…Only 76% participants (n = 288) installed medical app (except Wechat and QQ) on their smartphones. Though the rate was lower compared with the installment of Wechat and QQ, the number was still in agreement with many other studies in other areas of the world [14,15,20]. Our study found that there were signi cant differences between gender, age and whether or not installing medical apps.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Smartphone and medical application use among dentists in China

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: With the development of information technology, more and more healthcare professionals are using smartphones and mobile medical applications (apps) in their clinical practice. The objective of this study was to survey the use of smartphone based medical apps among dentists in China and their perceptions on such apps.Methods: All data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. The questionnaires for this cross-sectional study were randomly sent to dentists by email, and 379 dentists completed the questionnaires. Dentists’ demographics and their perceptions on Wechat, QQ (the most popular social media apps in China) and other medical apps were assessed, including questions on the purpose, frequency, daily use, and opinion of these apps they used. Questions were answered using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = not sure, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree).Results:A total of 379 valid responses were received with a median age of 33.6 years old (63.3% female). All subjects (100%) owned a smartphone, and all of them installed and used WeChat or QQ in their clinical practice. Only 76% subjects installed medical apps (except Wechat and QQ) on their smartphones. Male dentists would like to install medical apps than female dentists (p < 0.05). With the increasing of age, the percentage of dentists to install medical apps was decreasing ( p < 0.001). The frequency and daily use of WeChat or QQ were more often than medical apps. Medical apps were positively perceived, with dentists reporting to recommend these medical apps to other peers (Likert score: 1.67 ± 0.68).Conclusion: Medical apps were perceived to provide positive impact on clinical practice, education and patient care in dentistry by providing relevant medical information. But there will be still much room for improvement in the future.

“…Only 76% of the participants (n = 288) installed a medical app (other than WeChat and QQ) on their smartphones. Though the rate was lower compared with the installation of WeChat and QQ, the number was still in agreement with many studies in other areas of the world [14,15,20]. Our study found that there were signi cant differences in whether medical apps were installed by gender and age.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Smartphone and medical application use among dentists in China

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: With the development of information technology, an increasing number of healthcare professionals are using smartphones and mobile medical applications (apps) in their clinical practice. The objective of this study was to survey the use of smartphone-based medical apps among dentists in China and determine dentists’ perceptions of such apps.Methods: All data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. The questionnaires for this cross-sectional study were randomly sent to dentists by email, and 379 dentists responded. Dentists’ demographics and perceptions of WeChat, QQ (the most popular social media apps in China) and other medical apps were assessed; the questionnaire including questions on the purpose, frequency, daily use, and opinion of the apps they used. Questions were answered using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = not sure, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree).Results: A total of 379 valid responses were received; the respondents had a median age of 33.6 years old (63.3% female). All subjects (100%) owned a smartphone, and all of them installed and used WeChat or QQ in their clinical practice. Only 76% of subjects installed medical apps (other than WeChat and QQ) on their smartphones. Male dentists were more likely to install medical apps than female dentists (p < 0.05). With increasing age, the percentage of dentists who installed medical apps decreased (p < 0.001). The frequency and daily use were higher for WeChat and QQ than for medical apps. Medical apps were positively perceived, with dentists reporting that they recommend these medical apps to their peers (Likert score: 1.67 ± 0.68).Conclusion: Medical apps were perceived to have a positive impact on clinical practice, education and patient care in dentistry by providing relevant medical information. However, there will still be much room for improvement in the future.